#frightful october spellbound

[this-song-thats-only-for-you]

Frightful October: Spellbound: The Dream Keeper

Summary:  Hyungwon was a dream keeper, giving his charges dreams for as long as he could remember. One day things changed when he accidentally put himself in your dreams.

Characters: Chae Hyungwon x Reader (small cameo from Jooheon)

Genre: Magic / Power of Dreams.

A/N: Welcome to the first week of Frightful October 2022 : Spellbound. I hope you enjoy this little story after so long away. You can find @prettywordsyouleft story here.

Word count: 1,976

  Everything in Hyungwon’s life had a purpose, an order. He couldn’t remember what his life was like before he came here, he didn’t seem to mind that either. He knew what his life was meant for. He had trained and been chosen for such an important job; he made sure people on his charge list dreamt whilst they slept.

To anyone outside of this realm it would seem silly. No one kept dreams, the person who dreamt created them all on their own. To a point that was true, but it took a certain type of person to give inspiration, to create the little link between the person and their inner subconscious’ desires and hopes.

That’s what dreams were.

He and many others had been given the task, and so his daily life was much the same. He clocked in at the start of his shift, and he spread the hope to everyone he needed to, making sure they had pleasant dreams, and more importantly, left the person with the desire to create and want more from their life.

He had always felt a sense of fulfilment and purpose, and so he never questioned anything when it came to his work. He spent many moments throughout his day making sure everything was perfect and catered to every charge he held within his list. His co-workers often praised him for his hard work and determination to make sure nothing went astray. Never in his time as a dream keeper had anything gone wrong, until now.

Hyungwon had successfully finished his shift, the last person on his list finally getting the inspiration they needed to leave a bad position in their life. He smiled to himself, knowing how much this specific charge needed it, and he felt good knowing they would be happier soon.

He knew that no one he sent dreams to knew of him, or even knew that people took care of them in such a way. He felt as if he’d seen them all grow up before his eyes, and they technically had, even if Hyungwon didn’t age at the human rate.

He was in his own world of thought when he was suddenly stopped as a hand wrapped around his arm.

“Oh good, you haven’t left yet!”

He turned to see his co-worker Jooheon panting slightly, as if he’d been running to find him.

“I was just about to head home. Is everything okay?”

“There’s been a problem.”

“Care to divulge what kind of problem? And are you going to let go of my arm?” Hyungwon scrunched his brows in confusion and frustration at being held up. He was never one to stray from routine, and this surely did change it.

Jooheon let go instantly, as if he’d been struck by lightning as he straightened his stance and caught his breath before continuing. “You stuffed up.”

“Me? No, I’d- “

“You put yourself in her dreams, Hyungwon! I think that consists of a big stuff up!”

“What?”

Hyungwon’s face fell instantly, a panic running through his veins as he tried to think over all his charges, and all the dreams he had kept recently. Nothing was coming to mind, so surely Jooheon had gotten it wrong. He would never be so careless as to put himself into a charges’ dreams.

That was one of the biggest rules you were not to break.

“You’ve got to be mistaken. I wouldn’t have done that.” He said shaking his head in disbelief.

“You’re the only Hyungwon who works here, and the only one with her, as a charge.” Jooheon replied as he pointed to a picture on his tablet of a woman, one Hyungwon knew very well.

Hyungwon closed his eyes, a heavy sigh leaving his lips as he tried to figure out where exactly he had stuffed this up.

“Does anyone else know?”

Jooheon shook his head furiously “Not yet, but it won’t be long until they do. We need to fix this. You need to fix this.” He continued, pressing into Hyungwon’s chest firmly.

“And how do you suggest I do that?”

Jooheon’s face lit up as a smile spread across his face, making Hyungwon’s stomach drop at the sight.

“I think I’m going to regret asking that question, aren’t I?”

 Thirty minutes later and Hyungwon was cursing Jooheon profusely. How had he let himself be talked into this? It was an insane idea, and yet he knew deep down that there was no other way. If there were, he wouldn’t be standing outside your door, his hand about to knock on the hard wood. He shouldn’t be in the human world. It wasn’t unheard of for a dream keeper to be in this realm, but he guessed it never occurred to them to put themselves in their dreams either.

He sighed deeply, for what felt the hundredth time today as he bravely knocked. He knew he had to meet you, once something was in a person’s subconscious, it didn’t leave until some resolution came to be.

So, the answer had been to put himself in front of you, get him out of your system and then you could both carry on with your lives. He had no idea what he was going to say to you, even though he and Jooheon had come up with a plan before he left.

Suddenly he couldn’t remember a thing, when you opened the door and stood before him.

Did you always look this beautiful?

His eyes washed over you as you stood in your doorway, your own eyes large with what he assumed was shock, and a sense of realisation upon seeing him, but he was unsure why. You seemed to be breathing rapidly as your chest heaved up and down. He shook his head roughly. Everything about you overwhelmed him, and this feeling was new to him. He didn’t know what was happening, and then you spoke.

“Hi.”

It was simple. A single word, and yet hearing your voice in person did something else entirely to him. His body lit up at the sound, as if your voice was a song that only played for him. He swallowed roughly before replying.

“Hi.”

Hyungwon noticed the jolt that went through your own body at hearing his voice, but you seemed to recover better than he had, taking the two steps towards him and closing the gap between you both.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

And then his hand was in yours. He didn’t know whether you grabbed it first or if he simply reached out for you. You gave it a light squeeze, a comforting smile forming on your face as you looked up at him.

“You’ve been waiting for me?”

He didn’t know what else to say. How could you know him? No one in this realm knew he existed, and yet here you were looking up at him as if you’d known him your whole life.

“Ever since I can remember. What took you so long?”

“What? I don’t- “

You looked up at him expectantly, your hands now moving to cup his face as you stretched up onto your tiptoes before murmuring his name against his lips. “Hyungwon.”

“How- “

And then your lips were on his.

They were softer than he ever could have imagined, he held his breath as you continued to press your lips onto his, your body coming closer, as his arms pulled you further into him. He gasped against you, allowing you access with your tongue as he began to see flashes of images inside his mind.

He saw you standing in front of him, turning to look back at him, smiling.

Cuddled together on a couch, watching something on a television.

Him laughing, his eyes crinkled in amusement at something you said.

All these little flashes of a life together, one he never knew could even exist, and yet it all felt so real. Tangible.

Attainable.

Hyungwon opened his eyes, moving from you as he broke the kiss, his breathing rapid now as he looked down at you, as if truly seeing you for the first time.

“What was that?”

“Do you not know?” You edged closer to him, your hand squeezing his gently again. “For a dream keeper, you’re pretty clueless on dreams.” You smirked as a chuckled vibrated through your body.

“How did you know I’m a – “Hyungwon asked in response, but you cut him off before he could continue.

“You’ve been in my dreams for as long as I can remember, and you had no idea.”

“How is that possible? I would have known before today if I’d done that.”

Hyungwon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This day had certainly not gone how he had thought it would. He was never one to make a mistake, and here you were telling him the one mistake he had done, he’d been doing far longer than he knew of. How was that even possible? How did you know of his existence and that he was a dream keeper?

He began to feel lightheaded, his vision blurring slightly as a new wave of panic washed over him. He didn’t understand anything. Everything he knew had been turned upside down.

“Hyungwon. Look at me,” you asked gently, bringing him out of his reverie, “At first, I had no idea who you were. I’d never seen you before, and you appeared in my dreams so often that I couldn’t stop thinking about you. So, when we weren’t together in my dreams, I searched for meanings behind them, and I figured out what you were. You want to know why you never realized?”

“Yes, tell me.” The pleading words left his lips before he had any time to think.

You pulled him towards your door, tugging him down on the step as you sat next to one another, holding his hand the whole time reassuringly. Hyungwon didn’t know why but it made him feel comforted, he calmed himself down in that moment as he looked to you, waiting for the answer.

“Because they were your dreams too.”

“But dream keepers can’t dream,” he simply stated, his mind going through all the things he had learnt and been taught over the years to become what he was. Surely you were wrong.

“Of course, they can. Why do you think you keep dreams alive?”

���I just – “

And then the world stopped.

That missing piece finally clicked into place.

The way he never strayed from routine. How he always did the same thing, day in and day out. How when he left work after every shift, he felt hollow. The only time he felt truly himself was when he helped his charges with their dreams. He yearned for more from his life, and yet he didn’t even realize he could. He thought all those times he gifted inspiration to the others and to you, were for your benefit, but now he finally saw that the extra attention to detail was of his own making.

He dreamed to have someone to call his own. He wanted to be more to someone than just a keeper of dreams.

And so, he had put himself into the position to achieve more.

He put himself in your dreams, to become more, for himself.

And for you.

“Is this real?”

He leaned his forehead against yours as his hands cupped the sides of your face. Your breaths mingled, staying like that for a silent moment, just soaking in the air around you both as he gathered himself, the reality of the situation slowly sinking in. He wasn’t just a dream keeper anymore. He was here with you. As a real person.

“Kiss me and find out.”

He chuckled then, as his eyes crinkled, wasting no time in capturing your lips once again.

Dreams really could come true.

[prettywordsyouleft]

The King’s Sorcerer

Pairing: Lee Minho (Lee Know) x female reader

Genre: fluff / fantasy / magic

Warnings: none

Word count: 3392

A/N: Welcome to the first week of Frightful October. The theme is Spellbound, and when I thought of this sorcerer x shifter idea, I knew I had to write it with Minho. 

This story can be read alone, but it is interconnected with all the Frightful October stories linked below. 

The King’s Sorcerer | The Huntsman | Gatekeeper | The Secret Library | Stories Told on Hallow’s Eve

Deep in the back of a rather peculiar residence, a sorcerer could be heard sighing. It had been going on for so long now that one could assume that he had forgotten how to breathe properly; his unwavering focus and consistent scowling only added to the incessant huffing. If Minho the Mage lived with anyone else, perhaps he would have taken some liberties to show himself with expected composure.

After all, he was the greatest sorcerer in all of Casaria. One had a reputation to uphold, and being found hunched over his beloved spell book and a stack of scribbled formulas would definitely lower the everyday belief that he could merely bend the world to his will.

No, there was a great deal of work behind what he otherwise made look effortless.

And his latest task was proving quite the headache. He hadn’t moved from this stool in caldron’s knows long, and the accumulating pile of scrunched papers had started to form quite the indication that he and his workspace had all but become one. The violet feathered quill he held was no doubt fused to his fingers by now too, ink staining his skin after one too many flurries of notetaking and not waiting nearly long enough for the ink to dry.

“Drat!” he suddenly proclaimed, and the trinkets of his study grew wary from the sudden outburst. A series of words followed the first, more exasperated than the last until Minho was truly heaving. Tossing down the quill finally, he stretched his fingers, cracking his knuckles in the process.

This translocation spell still wasn’t coming together as smoothly as he hoped.

It wasn’t his first of these types of spells; Minho had created many in the past. As an almighty mage, such spells should be beneath him. Back when he was young and new to the world of magickal wizardry, he had cast so many of the blasted things that he had no doubt translocated every person in this kingdom at one point. Now, his skills were utilised by wealthier clients, and with his success, he had recently fulfilled the role of The King’s Sorcerer.

As esteemed a role as any, Minho had been excited to step into the robes of his past tutor to serve the young King Hyunjin. So far, the king hadn’t tasked him with anything out of the ordinary. A few illusionary spells and a restrengthening of the castle boundaries after yet another damsel had found herself incapable of withstanding her ruler’s handsome face and broke in to proclaim her endless love for him.

There was also the monthly enhancer cast to keep such a face looking as perfectly amiable as it did from dawn to dusk. Not that Minho would ever be caught admitting so. It was one of the lesser joys of his role of being the main sorcerer to such a powerful man.

“All good and well to cast alluring qualities to him when his actual persona is that of a snake!” Minho dramatically told the room, not aware of the spider that stopped her descent nearby. Instead, he groaned and finally took in his rumpled disposition and messy quarters. With a wave of his hand, he was able to clear the mess away – one upside to having magick run deeply within his veins. But no matter how his power pressed out the wrinkles in his shirt or strengthen the scent of his cologne, the glamour couldn’t remove the feeling of a day’s – or in this case a week’s – filth.

“A bath is needed,” he muttered, nodding once. “I’ll use a clarity potion. That’ll clear the cobwebs forming in my mind.”

Straightening his spine, he groaned and then proceeded to shuffle towards the upstairs bathroom.

Once clean and with a plate of food he conjured up from one of the kitchen’s extensive cooking spells, Minho returned to his study. He was barely over the threshold when he noticed the energy of another. Darting his focus about, he searched for a further sign of his intruder. No man or woman stood within the room, but that didn’t signal he was alone. Eying a stack of new trinkets with suspicion, he watched as they cowered and breathed out in relief when he finally moved on. Setting the plate down next to his spell book, he folded his arms across his chest and canted his head to the side.

He had found his intruder.

“Surely you didn’t enter my home like this, Y/N.” Resisting the urge to lift his hand above the spider now sitting over a fresh stack of parchment to frighten you, Minho shook his head with another groan. “Honestly! I have a front door, you know.”

“Yes, and I used it,” a silken voice pulsated in his mind, caressing gently.

“To crawl inside of? That door won’t allow even the smallest of bugs in. You’re not a tiny spider, you know,” he retorted and pursed his lips almost into a sneer. “Used the front door, indeed!”

The spider scuttled to the other edge of the desk before disappearing, and he blinked, finding you now perched on it in your mortal form. Minho gave you a pointed look to get down, but you ignored it. Much as you always did. “I knocked upon the door. Thrice, in fact.”

“If the master of the house doesn’t wish to answer his door, perhaps you should take that as a sign that he is otherwise occupied.”

You grinned and gave a small shrug. “There’s plenty of holes in this house of yours where a spider can squeeze in.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” he answered curtly and sat back down on his stool. He’d only ever turned himself into something other than a human a handful of times, and not once had he considered donning eight legs of sin. Considering how little you wore; he assumed it would be laborious to morph into such a beast in his wizardry robes. Taking his attention away from the gauze-like lavender fabric that did little to hide your curves, he steepled his fingers together and lowered his head so he could rest his forehead upon them and look back at his book.

He startled immediately. “How dare you touch my book!”

“To be fair, all I did was land upon it,” you said defensively, jutting out your bottom lip for effect. “It’s not my fault that your little book is particular about who touches it.”

Grumbling incoherently as he summoned the page he had been working from to appear once more, Minho decided he would ignore you as best as he could. Of course, you would have a reason to come bother him. You always did.

He had chosen these woods long ago as a peaceful retreat outside of Casaria’s capital to build his home. A misshapen manor at best, but what it lacked on the outside in architectural grandeur, he had managed to magick all he needed on the inside. It was a bit backward thinking, building such a home from the inside out, yet it deterred many, if not all passer-bys from attempting to bother him. Anyone who needed his sorcery could contact him during his working hours at his office in town.

Of course, he wasn’t foolish to believe the forest was merely his home. Many lowerfae and magickal beings had also found solitude here. Including you. He wasn’t quite sure when you had arrived in the woods itself, just how he came to meet you. Minho’s eyes travelled to the floor of his study that was permanently charred from the overwhelming level of magick you had possessed that night. He supposed that if you didn’t blow another hole in his roof, entering as an Arachnida wasn’t all that bad.

“A translocation spell is needed by the King?” you asked, swinging your legs about in a repetitive and dizzying rhythm. Minho was grateful you had only the two instead of eight now, all things considering.

He grunted in response, attempting to figure out how to create something as large as required of him.

“What for?”

“Are you a sorceress, Y/N?”

You laughed heartily, placing a hand over your chest. “Heavens, no.”

“Then you need not know what it is for.”

“The creatures worry,” you admitted a moment later, peering curiously in his direction as he picked up the quill once more. “There’s whispers of the King wishing to connect the Faelands with our own.”

He didn’t answer, though Minho was surprised by how correct the rumours were. Who had been speaking of such hushed secrets? Only he and the King were ever present when discussing this task of his. Hyunjin was a pragmatic leader. He wouldn’t openly share his plans as easily as he did his delicious, swoon-worthy smiles.

“There would be trouble for us all if we moved the leylines, Minho.”

“Trouble comes with everything. You are, in fact, a grand example of that. My life hasn’t been quiet or trouble-free once since you appeared.”

Something of a wicked type of smile spread out your face, and Minho grew annoyed with how well he admired it out of the corner of his eye. You, unlike Hyunjin, needed no enhancement. “I’m flattered you consider such a lowly shifter as such a stain upon your life.”

He created a visual stain of blotted ink upon the parchment at your statement. Blinking, he recomposed himself and started to scribble down a new formula as it formed. Thankfully, you allowed him to focus as he did so, and he almost forgot your presence.

That was why he jolted so alarmingly when you squealed with glee out of nowhere. “Where did you find this?!”

You had since climbed down from your perch as desk décor and were now over by the box of newly purchased trinkets. You held one in your hands, and his breath hitched, cursing silently at himself for not hiding it before you could find it. You would jump to conclusions about his interest in you, and well, at this point in his task, he needed no further distractions.

Within another blink, your form shifted into what he was most familiar with. Your feline features felt at home upon this face, with large, furry ears much like the cats spoken of in the desert continent. He had asked if you had come from there once when he’d drank too much liquor and was most inebriated. The hazy memory flooded his senses, and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, remembering the same hand reaching out to pet you fondly on the head like an actual cat. However, unlike the many tabbies and tomcats of Casaria, your coat was dark as midnight, surrounded by the most impressive hues of purple feathered wings he’d ever seen.

“It fits perfectly at the base of my wings!” You mentally projected your delight to him, and Minho sighed for what was no doubt the thousandth time this week.

“I never said it was for you.”

“What would you need of a shifter’s pouch for?” you wondered as you gracefully prowled over to the mirror in the far corner of the room. He watched as you posed this way and that, admiring the bag that had attached to your form with shifter’s magick he still didn’t quite understand. It was a perfect fit, and the detailed teal embroidery complimented you well. Your tail swung back and forth with pleasure.

“It was at the markets,” he relented, though answered with more nonchalance than the purchased gift felt to him. “I figured there was no use to it sitting there where you couldn’t purchase it.”

“I can enter the mortal town, sorcerer.”

“As a human? With coin to buy it with?” he countered, and you growled in warning, blinking back into your female form. Your eyes glistened with unspoken distaste, yet your hand held the pouch reverently instead of balling around it like the other had. Minho swallowed a lump down in his throat. “You’re welcome.”

“I never said thank you.”

“I don’t expect it, Y/N. Much as I never expect—”

You moved over the room with a swiftness he envied, and he stilled when your arms wrapped around his neck. Pressed against your warm body, Minho willed himself to remain breathing.

It would do nothing for your ego, or his, if he swooned like the damsels did over Hyunjin.

“I appreciate the gift. It is the most beautiful thing I now possess.”

“Er. Right,” he eventually coughed out, and your arms winded away from him, leaving him cold and aching in the departure. “I must get on with this spell, Y/N. The king expects it in four days’ time.”

“Is he really going to do it?” you whispered, and Minho resigned himself to answer with a nod. “Minho, that is madness! The Fae do not wish to be bothered by mortals anymore. Not to mention the Elven Queen—”

Minho spoke aloud the secret his King had told him when he ordered this task. “Hyunjin’s mother is Fae, though, perhaps some watered-down version. He got his beauty from her but no magickal ability. He hopes that translocating the permanent boundary between Casaria and Faerie will…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “I must do it.”

“Why?” you implored and then rolled your eyes, seeming to come to an answer. “If your reputation is worth the suffering of so many, then you are more arrogant than I thought!”

“Casaria doesn’t allow marriage to magickal beings,” he murmured, and if you were anyone else, he knew you wouldn’t have heard him. But given your most commonly shifted form was that of a cat with such large ears, well, he knew your hearing to be superior.

“Marriage of…” You frowned, and his cheeks pinkened despite himself. “Who do you wish to marry that is not mortal?”

Minho stared at you, and you continued to flit about, listing off names of witches and other spellcasters you had mutually crossed paths with. He remained focused on you until you stopped, sucking in a deep breath when you finally caught his attention. “Oh. Oh.”

“Then you would legally have a home too,” he offered quietly, knowing the one thing you wished for most was something to call your own. A fancy pouch may be good and all, but to know you had a place that you didn’t have to break into as a spider, well, it was worth the current headache he had with this translocation spell.

“You would go to such efforts for me?” you asked, and he nodded in response. You laughed, somewhat breathlessly. “The almighty sorcerer of Casaria wants me as his bride.”

“Well, if you have any other suitors—”

“We don’t need to be married in order for us to live together, Minho.”

“I’m rather traditional in that aspect, and you know it,” he truthfully replied, watching as you slunk towards him with hips swinging from side to side as they did in your wildcat form. He grew mesmerised by the swing until a jolt of magick sparked out of his fingertips, grounding him and his arousal.

You chuckled and planted yourself in his lap, slinging arms around his shoulders. “Let’s find another way. Perhaps a portal in Casaria will appease your King.”

“I offered that. I’ve made plenty of those in the past to other magickal realms. Surprisingly, they’re much easier than a translocation spell.”

“And he said no?”

Minho nodded. “He wishes for Faerie and Casaria to form an alliance.”

“Then he should send in an ambassador to the Enchanted Forest to seek one out. Not force it upon them.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

“Tell me what you expect of me if I become your bride?”

“Well, nothing really.”

“Nothing?!” You sat upright. “The offer is to simply give me a home?”

“No, that’s not right either.” His thoughts had grown muddled. The tiring spellwork had mixed with your scent, your feel, and everything felt a little too confusing for him to navigate. He cleared his throat, holding onto his little remaining dignity. “I am a sorcerer. The greatest of these lands.”

“Hmmm. I don’t need your title, though.”

“You like my company. Surely, living with me wouldn’t be so bad.”

You inhaled deeply and lifted a thoughtful finger to your plush bottom lip. He was afraid if you spoke to him now, it wouldn’t make much sense.

Confound my weaknesses! Minho thought miserably to himself. He had never been distracted by anyone before. You, however, were quite the opponent to his sensibilities.

“Living with you wouldn’t be wonderful either. Your arrogance and need for space are prevalent. You have spells for everything, and there’s no need for cleaning when you simply can wave a flick of your hand, and it is done. What would I do with my time?”

“Well, what do you do with it currently? There is no need for that to change.”

“I mostly annoy you.”

Minho laughed. “Once again, I don’t see that changing.”

“I could bother you in other ways,” you tempted, hands palming his chest instantly. Minho bit down on his bottom lip until he cried out with annoyance. “Besides, we don’t need marriage to do that.”

He wasn’t a saint, and yet, he’d tried to keep you and him away from being horizontal together for as long as possible. You, however, the wicked creature that you were, seemed to possess other ideas.

“Marrying you is already proving to be quite the headache,” he stated, and you nuzzled his neck.

“You haven’t even asked me yet. Nor have I had any opportunity to speak my answer.”

He glared at you exasperatedly. “I’m certain with the way your body is reacting against mine right now—”

He was cut off by the press of your finger to his mouth. “I don’t wish for you to finish this spell. Legality or not, I don’t care to be wedded like a mortal. I’m not one, and you’re hardly a human in any case.”

He went to refute your statement, but given the magick that rolled through his body, he certainly couldn’t pass as any Jack or Joe.

“I accept to bond my magick with you, though.”

“Is that so.”

“Mhm.”

“And how would that bond withstand the testing period ahead of us?” Minho knew that if Hyunjin didn’t get his spell, he would investigate alternative options to connect Faerie and Casaria. Perhaps his reputation could take a hit. He knew of no other in this kingdom who could even work a translocation spell or create portals. Not even his closest adversary Seungmin the Sage could match his level of sorcery in both areas. He was rather good at telepathy, however.

“Perhaps if the King comes to no longer wish for your services, we could translocate ourselves?”

“I’ll have you know this house of mine isn’t up for such a task.”

“No,” you said, leaning in to kiss him. When you shifted back to continue talking, he had half a mind to follow along with you and push his mouth back up against yours. “But I do believe when I first met you that you proclaimed that if I destroyed your house, you could very easily rebuild it again.”

“Where would we go?”

“Anywhere is fine, so long as it’s with you.”

“And that the house continues to have holes big enough for spiders to fit through?” he conditioned, and you grinned, cupping his face in one of your hands.

“Oh, but I’m sure that if and when the time comes that I can call you more than just my sorcerer, I’ll also be able to say that the home we build together won’t keep me locked out of it. Not if our magicks are bonded.”

“I’m not so sure, my love. My magick has a way of trying to keep trouble at bay.”

You kissed him once more, and this time you succeeded in scrambling all his senses. Sparks shot from his fingertips, and he vaguely thought of whether there was a spell he could create to stop putting on such a light show whenever you touched him like this. You looked at him in smug satisfaction when you shifted back in his embrace once more. “I’m willing to keep testing your limits.”

_________________

Next: The Huntsman

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‘Spellbound: All Hallow’s Eve’: Chapter 1: He Had It Comin’

Summary: Sequel; takes place a year after the epilogue of Spellbound (I suggest reading that first). Sherlock and Molly encounter a man who's out for revenge at the Watsons' Victorian themed Halloween party. Meanwhile, there's a woman roaming around London, impersonating Emelia Ricoletti. Magic, Mayhem, Mystery, and a Murder (or two) Most Foul. 

- read the first story HERE

I wanna dedicate this to my girl, @mrsfrankensteinwinchester cause she is literally the biggest fan of this series, and I just love her so much!

               The crisp October air bit at his skin. The man supposed it was worth it to meet his mistress for a night of passion. The fog began closing in around him, thicker than the down blanket his wife was sleeping under when he left. A snapping of a twig caught his attention, making him realize he was not, in fact, alone.

               “Who’s there?” he called out.

               “Only I,” a woman’s voice whispered in the dark.

               “Oh, thank goodness,” the man sighed in relief. “I was beginning to think you were ready to call it off. Where are you, my love?”

               He watched as a hand broke through the fog towards him. Her nails were painted a crimson red. As she came into view, he saw she wore a vintage style wedding dress—Victorian, perhaps—with long lace sleeves and a veil that hid her face from view.

               “'Til death do us part,” she hissed before the dagger pierced his heart.

               “Molly!” Sherlock shouted. “Victoria sneezed again!”

               “Oh, bugger, what’d she do now?” Molly asked, rushing into the sitting room. Their daughter had a habit of being able to do simple magic almost any time she screamed, sneezed or cried. Molly looked around, but nothing seemed amiss until her husband cleared his throat. The deerstalker he loathed so much was now sitting atop his head for the hundredth time.

               “This blasted hat is the bane of my existence,” he huffed.

               “Oh, Sherlock, do stop being melodramatic,” Molly laughed. “You know she loves it!” She lifted their six month old daughter into her arms. “You love playing jokes on daddy, don’t you, darling girl?”

               “Dadadada,” was Victoria’s reply whilst she laughed excitedly.

               Sherlock walked over to his wife and daughter, swiping the hat off his head.

               “I love you both very much, you know,” he spoke softly, one hand on the small of Molly’s back and the other gently stroking the chestnut curls on their Victoria’s head.

               It was then that Greg Lestrade strolled in looking white as a ghost.

               “Any possibility I can get you two to come to Bart’s quickly?” he asked them. “A highly regarded member of the British government has been murdered!”

               “Was it Mycroft?” asked Sherlock, who grimaced when Molly elbowed him.

               “Oh dear? Another murder?” Mrs. Hudson asked, bringing up the tea. “I’ll take care of the little one whilst you two take care of things.”

               “Mrs. Hudson, are you sure?” Molly asked.

               “Quite sure,” their landlady replied, taking Victoria into her arms. “Don’t you worry about a thing!”

               It wasn’t long before Sherlock and Molly were out the door to inspect the gruesome scene they were about to behold.

               In the mortuary, the body of Thomas Milton was laid out before them.

               “A member of the House of Commons I presume?” Sherlock deduced. When Greg opened his mouth, Sherlock interrupted. “It was a rhetorical question.”

               “Eight stab wounds, but he was pierced through the heart first,” Molly observed.

               “A bit excessive don’t you think?” Greg asked.

               “Excessive, yes, but there’s a clue from it,” Sherlock remarked.

               Greg looked at the couple dumbfounded.

               “It was a crime of passion,” Sherlock and Molly spoke in unison.

               “That’s scary, you two.” Lestrade shook his head in disbelief. “It’s like you share the same brain.”

               ‘Yes, well, time for you to go so Molly and I can concentrate—you think much too loudly,” Sherlock hurried the Detective Inspector out of the room.

               “Did you have to be so rude?” his wife scolded him.

               “Darling, I’m sorry,” he murmured into her ear.

               “I’m not the one you should apologise to,” she remarked.

               “I will apologise to Lestrade when we’re done,” he promised.

               “Wake,” Molly spoke firmly, a jolt of electricity burst from her fingertip.

               “Wha—where am I?” an undead Thomas Milton asked.

               Just then someone burst into the mortuary.

               “Sorry, forgot my pho—BLOODY HELL!” Greg shouted in a fright.

               Molly, on impulse, returned Milton to his previously lifeless state.

               “We can explain,” Sherlock paled.

               Somewhere in dark hidden alcove of a back alley, two men are heard whispering back and forth by a passerby—a woman taking a shortcut home from work. She walked quickly, her heels against the pavement being the only other sound.

As the clicking of her shoes echoed throughout the alley, her heart rate accelerated. She walked faster. Chills covered her skin, feeling as though someone was watching her. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. The end of the alley was just within her reach when a large hand grabbed her shoulder.

“Shouldn’t have been eavesdropping,” was all she heard before everything went black.  

FFN | Ao3 | Buy Me a Coffee

[slusheeduck]

Spellbound

[I was going through my online portfolio and found the original work I sent to get accepted into my masters program. Figured I might as well post it here, too.]

For Emma, order was the closest thing to divinity she could imagine. Her bag and locker were always meticulously organized; her notes were color-coded, with tabs to denote her cross-references. And, naturally, she always dressed neatly: her long, brown hair was always up in a neat ballerina bun, and her clothes were never wrinkled and always fit her perfectly. She was the picture of organization. So she had no idea how she ended up here, at the edge of the woods beside the school with her hair in tangles down her back and a boy with a wide grin and unearthly eyes beckoning her to him.

Well…she had some idea.

This whole mess began a little over six months ago, when Robin Goode spoke to her in math class. She had no idea where Robin had come from. No one did; there was sort of a vague, general recollection of him appearing at the school one day in October, and everyone somehow knew who he was, but there was a big, group blank on how that happened. It was generally accepted that the teachers decided it’d be cruel to introduce a new student who had come two months after school started, so Robin just seamlessly and quietly inserted himself into the school’s community, and about a week after he arrived, he was the most talked about kid on campus. Something about him promised something…different, and no one could pinpoint what it was. His tumbled golden curls and bright green eyes? His wide grin and loud laugh? There were quite a few things there that could be considered charming, but Emma thought it was just because he had a guitar and looked carefully rumpled all the time.

Personally, she thought the whole thing was a bit of a joke. Obviously his whole persona was fake, and she wasn’t about to let herself get sucked in like her friends. So when Robin had asked her for a pencil in math class, she was genuinely surprised at how affected she was at his broad smile of thanks. Her heart raced, her skin prickled; it honestly felt like she was frightened, but in a nice way (if there was such a thing). She scowled back at him in response and resumed her work.

“You’re smart, aren’t you?”

Emma jumped at the quiet voice, looking up only to catch that smile again. She frowned and held a finger to her lips, then resumed her work. Robin merely turned in his seat to look at her paper, eyebrows raising at her neat writing.

“Very smart. How’d you get through the questions so fast?”

“Why did you ask for a pencil if you’re not going to work?” Emma hissed back. Robin blinked, then smiled, a more muted one this time as his green eyes looked over her curiously. He nodded approvingly–though approving of what, Emma wondered–then turned back around to get to work.

~

“And he just gives me this weird smile and nods and acts like nothing happened.” Emma huffed as she finished telling Lizzy what happened in Math. “Tell me that’s not weird.”

“It’s not weird,” Lizzy replied through a mouthful of sandwich. “It’s cute and I’d kill for him to do that to me. Any girl would.”

Emma rolled her eyes. Of course Lizzy would want that. Five years of friendship had made it clear that Lizzy would chase after anything with a cute face and a pulse.

“For real, though, you could have been a little nicer,” Lizzy added as she took a sip of soda. “He’s the new kid. He’s probably trying to make friends.”

“He has friends,” Emma argued. “Everyone loves him.”

“God, you’re dumb!” Lizzy rolled her own eyes with such exaggeration that she tossed her hair in the motion. “He has admirers. He’s like a rock star.” She sighed lightly, resting her chin in her hand. “A lonely rock star who has all the fans in the world but not a single friend.”

Emma had given up on listening by this point, so Lizzy’s sudden whack to her arm came as a shock. “Ow!” she cried. “What the hell, Liz?”

“He just came out! Go apologize for being so rude,” Lizzy demanded, pointing out the window. Emma looked up to see Robin walk out of the main building to one of the trees on the quad, guitar slung on his back.

Emma scowled at her as she rubbed her arm, but thought over Lizzy’s words for a moment as she looked at Robin, who had sat down and begun plucking at his guitar. Douche, she automatically thought, but even so, she did feel a little bad for being so mean. He was new. She huffed, then grabbed her bag and headed out, shooting Lizzy a glare before she exited the cafeteria. She buried her nose down in her scarf as she marched, shielding it from the cold autumn wind. She stopped as Robin looked up from his guitar. He automatically gave her another wide smile. “Ah, Miss Math! Come to tutor me? I’d appreciate it, you know.”

Emma frowned behind her scarf, looking over him. Her brow furrowed, though, as she noticed something missing. “Where’s your lunch?”

Robin looked beside him, as if to search for the missing lunch, then shrugged. “No time to pack one.”

“You could get one inside.”

Robin smiled. “If you buy it.”

Emma pressed her lips together tightly, about to argue, but the obvious answer hit her. Oh. He likely didn’t have money on him. She glanced down at her bag, then held it out to him brusquely. Robin looked at it, then back up to her. She huffed in response.

“Take it. I wanted to buy something anyway,” she said gruffly, making sure not to make eye contact with him. “It’s just a honey sandwich, nothing special.”

She hazarded a look down, and Robin looked genuinely surprised.

“What do you want in return?” he asked, his eyes meeting hers steadily. Emma, surprised at his sudden gravity, shook her head. The last thing they needed was some sort of agreement.

“Just take it, all right?”

Robin blinked, and once again a broad, bright smile lit up his face, almost brightening the gloom of the day. Again Emma was transfixed, the spell not breaking until Robin took a bite of the sandwich.

“You’re very kind. Thank you, Miss Math.”

“Emma.” The name felt loose as it left her lips, as if her mouth had gone slack. Robin looked up, eyes nearly glowing green in the cloudy light.

“Emma,” he repeated. “Short for Emily?”

Emma awoke as he said her name, and she scowled again. “Just Emma,” she replied, then gave a quick goodbye and hurried back into the safety of the warm cafeteria. He was weird. She didn’t like him one whit.

Well. Maybe one whit.

~

A few weeks passed and an understanding silently formed between them, earning smiles from Robin and awkward waves from Emma as they passed each other in the halls. Robin quietly asked her questions in math, and Emma found herself willing to help rather than simply focusing on herself. She wouldn’t call them friends, no, still acquaintances, but…better acquaintances, if that made sense.

Even so, nothing happened outside of school, and that was fine. So it was understandable that Emma, slightly nervous already from the thunder that shook her windows, nearly jumped out of her skin when she glanced up to see Robin’s amused expression visible through her second-story window with the lightning flash. She took a moment, recovering from her fright, then frowned as she marched over to the window. With a little bit of effort, she managed to push it open, and was greeted by the cool, clean scent of rain, a wet leaf blowing into her hair, and Robin’s bright laugh.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Emma demanded before he could say anything. “How do you even know where I live?”

Robin’s eyes shone merrily from beneath his soaked bangs, sitting as easily on the big oak’s branch as a bird. “We don’t live in a big town, Miss Math; I live right down the street, not that you’ve noticed.” He gave her an entreating smile. “Invite me in?”

She huffed, crossing her arms as she frowned at him. After a moment, she gave a short nod. “What…what were you even doing outside? It’s awful out there!”

Robin gracefully stepped inside, pushing back his soaked hair and tracking in mud and tree bark. “I don’t mind it. And I didn’t have much choice; my parents kicked me out,” he said breezily. He noticed Emma’s hand go to her mouth, and he quickly added, “Oh, not forever! Just for now. They’re fighting and I mouthed off at the wrong time.”

Emma pressed her lips together, unsure what to do with that information. Should she be sympathetic? He didn’t look that upset, though. Why did he even tell her all of that in the first place? A sharp, cold breeze blew in from the window, and she moved to shut it.

“Why’d you even come here?” she asked, turning her head to see Robin wander around her room, nose wrinkling as he left a trail of filth on the clean wood. He shrugged.

“Well, you gave me a sandwich and helped with my math. I figured you were naturally a kind soul,” he said with a half-smile. Emma huffed. “No, really. You’ve talked to me more than anyone else. You must be nice.”

Emma frowned. “Really?”

Robin nodded, green eyes sincere and steady. He looked up as he heard a woman’s voice call up  Emma’s name from downstairs, face sharpening in alarm.

Emma pressed her lips together before going to the door and calling back, “I’ll be down in a sec! I’m finishing my homework!” She looked back up at Robin with an apologetic shrug. “Sorry.”

“Is that your mom?”

“Yeah.” Emma’s eyebrows rose as Robin quickly made his way back to the window.  “I-it’s fine, though! She won’t mind; I mean, she’ll probably—” She stopped as Robin held up his hands. His face relaxed, and he gave her a reassuring smile.

“I’ll leave. Your mom’s probably not anymore fond of intruders than you are.” He opened the window again. Emma squinted against the hard breeze that blew in, mussing up her bun and sending a wave of rain over her now-dirty floor. She watched as Robin carefully exited and perched himself upon the branch. Did he really find her that trustworthy from a sandwich? And what was that reaction when her mom called her? Something was going on with him, something that needed help. She bit her lip, then said, “Emmeline.”

Robin, steady on his branch now, looked up at her. “What?”

Emma shifted her weight, moving an escaped strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s what Emma’s short for. Emmeline.”

Robin looked up at her, face serious for a moment before a bright smile lit up his face. “That’s a pretty name. Emmeline.”

Something stirred in her as his warm voice glided over her name. Something that felt…out of her control. Should she like it? It felt like she should, and yet her chest tightened as she felt it. She played with another loose strand of hair.

“Um…erm, is there…how did you…” She shook her head, getting herself together. “Can you show me how to get on there? From the window?” she asked.

Robin raised his eyebrows. “You’ll get wet. Your hair might even come down,” he teased.

“That’s…” Emma glanced back into her room. The shelves and bed were just as neat as they were before, but the floor still covered in earth and leaves. She took a breath and turned back to him. “That’s okay.”

Robin smiled, and that seemed like enough to settle her nerves. “Here,” he said, holding out his hand for her. “It’s really not that hard.”

Emma hesitated, but she forced herself to take it. It was warm from the few minutes he’d spent inside, and she could feel the strength in his fingers as he wrapped them around hers. Carefully, he pulled her out onto the branch. She fought against it for a moment. However, all it took was one quiet phrase, just loud enough to be heard over the rain, to convince her to come out and join Robin in the tree, regardless of whether she became soaked and dirty.

“I’ve got you.”

~

That phrase ended up being truer than Emma had expected. Something about that day prompted a change in her. In the weeks that followed, she found them to have moved from better acquaintances to friends, and maybe then some, and as a result, she began to relax. Notes weren’t color-coded, outfits weren’t planned two days in advance, and she even began wearing her hair loose, even though it meant enduring joke after joke about “letting her hair down.” However, everyone–her friends, classmates, even her parents–encouraged her change, saying how nice it was to see her finally stop being so uptight.

As winter passed and edged toward spring, things began to change. Robin’s focus on her seemed laser-pointed. Lizzy assured that this was prompting a declaration of love, but Emma…wasn’t sure. It seemed like a natural progression, but would it change her even more if they actually went somewhere with this…thing they had?

At lunch a few days later, Robin, in a voice breezy as the day, whispered for her to come with him to the wooded area beside the school. Emma bit her lip at the suggestion, glancing up at the clock over the gymnasium. She would have to skip class, something that was complete heresy in Emma’s eyes. Well, it had been. She wasn’t sure if it still was.

Robin’s laugh, still bright as the sun, broke through her thoughts. “Don’t tell me you’d rather sit through history, Miss Math.”

Emma bit her lip. Would she really go against one of her most sacred rules for Robin? She looked up at him, all golden curls and bright green eyes that she’d never been able to read. That first feeling she’d had around him, the pleasantly frightened one, returned to her, though it didn’t feel quite as pleasant this time around. However, there was no malice in Robin’s eyes. She could trust him. He had her. So she offered her hand to him. He grinned as he pulled her up and led her toward the edge of campus. He couldn’t hear the way her heart rattled in her chest as they reached the forest. Emma slipped her hand out from his and stood back. He turned to look at her curiously.

“Emma?”

She was someone she hardly recognized. She didn’t care about schoolwork, her hair hung wildly down her back, that neatness she had so loved laid by the wayside in light of this earthy, carefree boy, who for all his mystery and charm she knew next to nothing about, and she hated it. This wasn’t what she wanted.

“Emmeline?” How nicely her name sounded with his voice, how it made the vowels crisp and the consonants glide. Was that why she was here? Because he said her name nicely?

Finally, Emma broke from her six month trance and shook her head. “No.”

Robin frowned, and, as if on cue, a hard wind blasted through the trees. “No?”

Emma shook her head. “I don’t…I don’t want this anymore. I’m not me.” She backed away from him, and to her surprise, Robin remained still, as if rooted to the spot.

“Emmeline!” was all he cried. Was he shocked, or did he know that her name was what drew her to him? She shook her head, gathering her windblown hair and attempting to tame it with a hairtie.

“My name is Emma!” she cried back, then turned and ran back to the school. To safety, to warmth, to order.

[pet-diary]

I randomly felt like making an October tag (10 days after October started, I know, I know). You could use it for a drawing, writing, or photo challenge, or whatever else you come up with! I think I’ll try to use it as a drawing challenge myself, because I really need to practice drawing more, and this might inspire me. The book quotes are for added inspiration, or a bonus round!

Feel free to reblog if you like. :)

Read under the cut for text version:

1. trick 2. unearthly 3. repulsive 4. magic 5. ghostly 6. treat 7. disguise 8. death 9. vanish 10. cowardly 11. haunting 12. shadow 13. witchcraft 14. fangs 15. mysterious 16. pumpkin 17. boo 18. spooky 19. autumn 20. web 21. frightful 22. cemetery 23. mischievous 24. pretend 25. moonlit 26. skeleton 27. spellbound 28. blood 29. nighttime 30. superstitious 31. cauldron

“Loneliness will sit over our roofs with brooding wings.” ― Bram Stoker, Dracula

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown” ― H.P. Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror in Literature

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” ― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

“There are all kinds of worlds in the real world,"she said softly."Most people don't know that.” ― R.L. Stine

“This was a normal town once, and we were normal people. Most of us worked at the plastics factory on the outskirts of town. Then one day there was an accident... something escaped from the factory, a yellow gas. It floated over the town so fast that we didn't see it, didn't realize... and then it was too late, and Dark Falls wasn't a normal town anymore.” ― R.L. Stine, Welcome to Dead House

“The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn't real. I know that, and I also know that if I'm careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle.” ― Stephen King, Night Shift

“It was easier to be brave when you were someone else.” ― Stephen King, It

[laresearchette]

Saturday, October 28, 2017 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

NHL HOCKEY (SN) 1:00pm: Sharks at Sabres (CBC/OMNI) 7:00pm: Flyers at Leafs (CITY/SN1) 7:00pm: Rangers at Habs (SN1/CBC/OMNI) 10:00pm: Capitals at Oilers

CURLING (CBC) 1:00pm: Grand Slam of Curling: Masters - Women’s Quarter-Finals (SN) 5:00pm: Grand Slam of Curling: Masters - Men’s Quarter-Finals (SN360) 9:00pm: Grand Slam of Curling: Masters - Semi-Finals

FIGURE SKATING (TSN2) 1:30pm: Skate Canada: Women’s & Ice Dance Free Skates (TSN2) 7:00pm: Skate Canada: Men’s Free Skate

CFL FOOTBALL (TSN/TSN3/TSN4/TSN5) 4:00pm: Lions at Bombers (TSN/TSN3/TSN4/TSN5) 10:00pm: Stamps at Eskimos

GOOD WITCH: SPELLBOUND (W NETWORK) 6:00pm: A long-forgotten prophecy is unearthed in the basement of city hall and, when things that were predicted start to come true, the people of Middleton begin to fear that their town is under the grip of a horrible curse.

THE GUEST BOOK (CMT) 7:00pm/7:30pm (SERIES PREMIERE): This actually premiered on Friday, but they were keeping it a kind secret. If you missed it, here are the first two episodes of the Greg Garcia anthology series. Episode Three and Four will air at it’s actual times, Fridays on CMT at 9:00 and 9:30pm

W5 (CTV) 7:00pm: A journey through the fabled Northwest Passage.

NBA BASKETBALL (SN1) 7:30pm: 76ers at Raptors

SPLIT (TMN) 9:00pm: Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.

SHADOW PEOPLE (SUPER CHANNEL 02) 9:00pm: Back in the 1970's, several patients in an experimental sleep study reported seeing shadowy intruders. These patients, and hundreds of others, died in their sleep soon after. Now, a struggling late-night radio host and a skeptical CDC investigator have begun researching a disturbing new outbreak of shadow sightings and sleep fatalities.

JUST FOR LAUGHS: ALL ACCESS (COMEDY NETWORK) 9:00pm: Comics Tom Henry, Dave Merheje, Sara Schaefer, Jessica Kirson, and Dan St. Germain perform.

RAW (TMN) 11:00pm: When a young vegetarian undergoes a carnivorous hazing ritual at vet school, an unbidden taste for meat begins to grow in her.

[cynthiabryanuk]

The UK’s Best Halloween Events 2017—And Where To Stay!

Double, double, toil and trouble… it’s that time of year again when we put on our favourite Halloween party outfits and scour the UK for the best Halloween events. From spook-tacular ghost trains to grizzly tales of spectral sightings, you’re in for a treat this Halloween!

Best October holidays and Halloween activities

With so much going on this year, Holiday Lettings is here to help you find the perfect place to enjoy the frighteningly-fun Halloween activities. All of these top events are located in great holiday destinations, so we won’t blame you if you extend your stay!  Whether you’re looking for an apartment for two in atmospheric Whitby or a roomy rental for your little witches and wizards in Edinburgh, we’ve got it covered.

Whitby

Whitby Goth Weekend | 27 – 29 October

Now in its 23rd year, this Goth-friendly Halloween event is one of the largest in the UK. With musicians such as New Model Army, The Mission, Heaven 17, Toyah Wilcox and more under their belts, the event is a must for alternative music fans. Not only that, it brings investment to the local area and also benefits charities such as the Bat Conservation trust and Whitby Lifeboat Station. It’s family-friendly too, so kids can get dressed up in their favourite Halloween outfits and join in the fun.

Whitby Storyteller

Join the Whitby Storyteller this Halloween on a walking tour of the fascinating seaside town. From tales of shipwrecks and smugglers at Robin Hood’s Bay to stories of the strange and supernatural along Whitby’s windswept cliffs, these walking tours are sure to give you chills (and thrills) this Halloween. After your tour, head back to your cosy holiday rental where you can curl up with that classic horror inspired by Whitby Abbey: Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’.

See all spine-tingling stays in Whitby

York

The York Dungeon | 7 October – 4 November

This year, the York Dungeon has become ‘The Home of Halloween’, bringing scares, surprises and pumpkins-a-plenty to all 10 of their historic live shows. Look out for their family-friendly walking tours of the city and the new City Bus Tours that will be looking at the weirder side of the city’s past. And if you can brave heading into the dungeon after dark, they’ll be open late on Halloween weekend and on Halloween itself. Book a holiday rental nearby to make the most of this fiendishly-fun halloween activity.

The Ghost Trail of York

Travel back in time through the centuries and experience the terrifying tales of York’s ghostly history when you join the Ghost Trail of York. This award-winning tour leaves from York Minster at 7.30pm every night, whatever the weather, and there’s no need to book. You’ll hear stories of Victorian tragedies and more modern spooky goings-on, too. So if you’re looking for Halloween activities to scare your socks off, this’ll be right up your lamp-lit street!

Find a hair-raisingly brilliant break in York

Oxford

Oxford Castle Unlocked – Ghost Fest | 19 – 31 October

Oxford Castle’s history is filled with murder, battle and execution, and this Halloween the ancient castle site will embrace its bloody past with a series of spine-chillingly spooky events. As well as Ghost Fest’s ever-popular spooky tours, the Castle will host the return of Most Haunted’s parapsychologist Ciaràn O’Keeffe for two special ghost-hunting events. There’s also plenty of Halloween fun for all the family including games, pumpkin carving and a costume parade featuring some terrifying fashion.

Bill Spectre’s Ghost Trails

Join Bill Spectre as he leads you through the streets on his multi-award winning theatrical ghost tour. Illustrated with props and illusions, Bill (in full costume) will entertain and horrify you through the ancient streets of Oxford, proving that fun and fear make excellent companions! And if the tour leaves you wanting more, why not book a week-long stay in the city of the dreaming spires? There are hundreds of rentals to choose from, so picking the perfect place in Oxford certainly won’t be scary!

Choose a spookily special holiday in Oxford

Stratford-upon-Avon

Stratford Town Ghost Walk | 31 October

It’s all treats and no tricks at this year’s Ghost Walk event, which includes a warming glass of mulled wine (or soft drink) and a fascinating falconry experience. Your guides, Vincent, Herbert Mortimer, Man in Black and Jocasta, will guide you through Stratford’s historic streets, regaling you with tales of ghosts, witches, murder and misery. Becky from Hawkwise Falconry will be on-hand with feathered friends ‘Fenn’, ‘Bottom’ and ‘Puck’, so don’t forget your camera!

Tudor World

This quirky museum site has appeared on the TV programme Most Haunted and has even been described as “the most haunted house in England” in Stratford’s Horrible Histories guide. This year’s visitors can find out more about the history of Halloween or even go on trial for witchcraft! Children can follow the Halloween Trail and win a ‘spooky’ prize or join the family-friendly ghost tour for children with Mr G Buster. There will be nightly ghost tours for the adults, too, so why put Stratford on your list of things to do on Halloween?

Look for a hauntingly good stay in Stratford-upon-Avon

Edinburgh

City of the Dead Tours

Founded in 1999, these fascinating, fun and frightening tours have won multiple awards and are some of the best ghost walks in Edinburgh. Your guides are a mixture of historians and professional entertainers, picked for their ability to improvise, entertain and make each tour unique. It’s the mastery of storytelling that really brings these tours to life and will leave you wanting more. Book a break in Edinburgh so you can take another tour the next night! It’s sure to give you the heebie-jeebies in the best possible way.

Edinburgh Dungeon

With two special Halloween events this year, Edinburgh Dungeon is the place to be this October. Meet the characters from Scotland’s darkest history on the “Cannibals: Flesh Meat” tour. You’ll be recruited into the king’s men on the hunt for Sawney and his insidious clan. They can smell your fear, and it’s giving them an appetite! Over 18s can join the “Cannibals: Unleashed” tour, where it’s a case of hunt or be hunted. It’s not for the faint-hearted. Although if you faint, they’ll gladly take your heart.

Book a blood-curdling break in Edinburgh this Halloween

Aberystwyth

Terror Mountain | Selected dates in October

Terror Mountain returns for 2017 and it’s set to be scarier than ever! Think you’ve got what it takes to brave Wales’ best Halloween event? Offering four live-action horror attractions, scary entertainment and much, much more, this terrifically terrifying event will give you shivers… in a good way! Set in a genuine Victorian silver mine, Terror Mountain holds the key to your night of thrills, fun and screams. For more information visit www.terrormountain.co.uk

The Vale of Rheidol Railway – Halloween Ghost Train | 27 – 29 October

Board a spine-tingling steam train this Halloween and take a trip through the Welsh countryside. This family-friendly ghost train is a must for anyone taking an October holiday near the Rheidol Valley. There’ll be a prize for the best children’s fancy dress and a Halloween feast served at Devil’s Bridge station. With so many rentals to choose from nearby, you’ll be booking a break here before you can say “boo!”.

See all enchanting escapes in Aberystwyth

Bristol

FEAR at Avon Valley | 13 – 31 October

FEAR at Avon Valley features a whole night of entertainment, including four live action scare attractions as well as street entertainment, fairground rides, and a variety of bar and food outlets. Anarchy Live sees contestants fight for survival in a brutal game of cat and mouse, whilst in the Killzone, participants must strive to wipe out nocturnal mutants and secure the future of mankind! This exciting event is not for the faint-hearted, but it is a whole lot of Halloween fun.

Halloween Spooktacular at Wild Place | 21 – 29 October

Looking for a family-friendly Halloween event in Bristol this October half-term? Head to Wild Place and meet the storytelling witch, who’ll leave your little ones spellbound with tales of magical beasts and scary songs. Visit the magical creatures enclosure where you can spot mysterious animals hiding up trees. While in the witch’s house, follow the Barefoot Trail and peek into the cauldron to discover a spooky surprise!

Book a bone-chilling holiday in Bristol

Stirling

Stirling Ghostwalk

With the promise of “fear, fun and frights for all the family”, the Stirling Ghostwalk has been spooking its participants for 25 years. The tour combines comedy, drama and storytelling, and draws on characters who lived in the Royal Burgh and the chilling events that took place there. So, let the Happy Hangman (actor and author David Kinnaird) be your guide and get ready for an evening that will give you goose bumps.

Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park – Halloween Weekend | 28 – 29 October

With themed activities suitable for all ages, this is a Halloween holiday not to be missed. If you’re feeling brave, explore the Corridors of Horror haunted house. Kids will love the face-painting and party games, and the whole family can have a go at carving a pumpkin or two. While you’re there, you can get up close to the park’s amazing and exotic animals, from llamas to lions. There are some fantastic holiday rentals to choose from nearby and, as the park has a fancy dress competition, don’t forget to pop your favourite Halloween party costume in your suitcase.

See all super(natural) stays in Stirling

London

The London Dungeon – The Death Express

It’s full scream ahead as the ‘Home of Halloween’ invites you to experience the scariest journey of the 19th century. The living and the dead sit side-by-side on the London Necropolis Railway in the 1850s. London’s cemeteries have become so overcrowded this new train line has one purpose… transport the dead out of London! Guests will experience the clickety-clack of the train… or is that bones from the coffins? This is one of the most immersive Halloween activities around, packed full of tricks and treats.

Jack the Ripper Tour

These truly atmospheric tours wind through the old, narrow alleyways where you’ll feel like you’ve been transported back to the mean streets of the Victorian East End. With over 30 years experience of introducing Londoners and visitors to the world’s greatest murder mystery, these walks will intrigue, surprise and scare in equal measure. There’s a plethora of Halloween events taking place in London this October, so book a rental for a Halloween holiday to remember.

Look for an eerie Halloween escape in London

Bath

Bath Ghost Tours | 26 – 31 October

Beginning at 8pm directly outside the famous Bath Abbey (itself haunted by a medieval monk),  these terrifying tours take you through the dark and haunted streets of Old Bath Town. You’ll hear tales of nasty hauntings and grizzly murders, and may even find yourself burnt at the stake! Join regular ghost hunter, Dr Lynch, for a night of frights, humour, theatre and some genuine paranormal experiments. The tour is suitable for brave participants of all ages, so why not treat the family to a holiday of Halloween activities in Bath this October.

Museums at Night: Fright at the Museum 2017 | 27 October

This Halloween, the American Museum in Bath will be opening their doors after dark for a celebration of all things spooky. Behind the doors of Claverton Manor, ghostly storytellers will be ready to entertain you with ghastly tales from American folklore. In the seventeenth century room, hear the chilling story of Bloody Mary, who terrorised villagers in rural Pennsylvania four hundred years ago. These fiendishly fun tours should be top of your list if you’re taking a holiday in Bath this October.

Find a rib-rattling rental in Bath

Weston-super-Mare

The Grand Pier’s Halloween Unfairground | 26 – 28 October

This Halloween, the Grand Pier will open its doors after dark for an exclusive event that will immerse you in a terrifying world of live scare zones set to thrill even the darkest souls! Tickets include entry into the different zones as well as unlimited use of the rides and attractions… some with an unexpected twist! This year’s scare zones include Asylum Maze, Zombie Infestation Zone and Crazed Circus. This event is not for scaredy-cats, so visit if you dare!

Halloween Fright Night! | 31 October

Expect Halloween fun for all the family at Grove Park this October. This free event kicks off at 4pm finishing with a fantastic firework display at the end of the night. There’ll be fire performers, acrobats, comedy acts, interactive children’s games, fun inflatables and much, much more!

Whether you meet creepy crawlies from Bristol Zoo, have fun with the arts and crafts, or have your face painted, this is a Halloween event to remember.

Find a fiendishly good rental in Weston-super-Mare

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Moors Railway Spook-tacular Ghost Train | 26 – 29 October

Chug your way through stunning countryside aboard the ghoulishly great ghost train this Halloween – it’s sure to be a hit with all ages. Book your ticket, put on your best Halloween party fancy dress and board the train at Pickering to start your fang-tastic journey! When you’re not riding the ghost train, Yorkshire is brimming with exciting Halloween activities so why not book a stay and continue the fun with a Halloween party at your private rental.

Frightwater Valley | 26 – 29 October

Lightwater Valley becomes Frightwater Valley this October, where ghastly ghouls and beasties lurk around every corner. See if you can find your way out of the scare-maze, board the Frightwater express for a terrifying journey or take a spooky stroll down Icon Avenue (where you’ll come face-to-gruesome-face with a host of popular Halloween characters). And to top it all off, the fireworks display near the lake at the end of the day will give you goosebumps!

Book a cauldron-bubbling break in Yorkshire this Halloween

The post The UK’s Best Halloween Events 2017—And Where To Stay! appeared first on Holiday Lettings Blog.

from News And Tips For Traveling https://blog.holidaylettings.co.uk/uks-best-halloween-events-october-holidays/

[jeromenathen]

Harry Potter tour, Thorpe Park and more: Things to do this week

BE spellbound at Hogwarts, face your fears at Thorpe Park’s Fright Nights and be entranced by the English National Ballet. from Daily Express :: Travel Feed http://www.express.co.uk/travel/activity/860392/Things-to-do-this-week-1-October

[prettywordsyouleft]

Frightful October is returning!

Sem ( @this-song-thats-only-for-you) and I have really missed spooky season on our writing blogs, and when I asked her the other week if she wanted to bring back Frightful October, she didn’t hesitate to screech "yes” at me. It’s safe to say we’re pretty darn excited to get back to writing and sharing some fun stories with you all.

Of course, with our recent mutual hiatuses, this collaboration won’t be as active as in other sessions. You can expect a story each from us once a week, with Sem’s being posted on Thursdays and mine on Fridays at 10am NZST. We’re also aiming to have a story each to share on Halloween itself.

THE SCHEDULE

Week One: Spellbound 

Week Two: Enchanted Forest

Week Three: Demonology

Week Four: Theme title to be finalised.

Week Five: Hallow’s Eve

NOT SURE WHAT FRIGHTFUL OCTOBER IS ALL ABOUT?

Each week is themed and we have to write a story that matches it. We have some staples each time (such as Demonology and Spellbound), but we try to add in 1-2 new themes each time. We each will write different idols (though maybe a couple of groups will overlap) to have a lot of variety to the lineup. 

You can check out the masterlists for the first two sessions here: 2018 | 2019

Are you excited for the return of Frightful October? 

[prettywordsyouleft]

No Spell Needed

Summary: Jinyoung had learned early on that you were a witch. But even he was surprised when you tried to cast a love spell on him.

Pairing: Park Jinyoung x reader

World: Love Spell universe

Genre: witchcraft au / fluff

Warnings: none

A/N: I have actually lost count how many times it’s been requested that I return to last year’s Spellbound story Love Spell. And although I’ve already written a Hogwarts au with Jinyoung this week, since it’s the 2019 version of Spellbound, we’re here revisiting an oldie but a goodie.

I don’t think it’s entirely necessary to read Love Spell first, but I do recommend it. You can read Love Spell HERE

Word count: 3091

[Frightful October Masterlist]

You were so unlike Jinyoung that he was instantly drawn to you.

Whilst he was practical, steadfast and logical, you were unrealistic and quite often off with your thoughts in another dimension. In fact, after a month of friendship with you, Jinyoung had even contemplated if you were from another world.

It was then when he found out you were a witch.

Not that it was something you were announcing for everyone to hear, no, you hadn’t actually told him you were one. And before he met you, Jinyoung had been the type of person to believe such things only existed in books. Fantastical novels that were created for entertainment purposes and not written from true anecdotes of people who had lived with magic for centuries. Yet here you were, carrying around a spare wand in your pencil case. And when you weren’t paying enough attention to your studies in the library one evening as you dozed off over your laptop, your bag had slipped onto the ground from your lap and spilled out its contents, including what appeared to be a very convincing witches manual.

It would be just like you to carry it around like that.

Of course, Jinyoung didn’t believe in you being a witch immediately. Even if things did connect, he wasn’t about to admit that everything he knew was a lie and that next he’d be meeting a vampire. He needed more proof than a book that looked as if it had been handed down the family line over generations and a wand in your pencil case. Some people had peculiar habits and you could have a hidden interest in bookbinding and making fake wands for all Jinyoung knew. He hadn’t known you before university, and since then, he couldn’t quite put his finger on pinning down your personality any further than being slightly eccentric.

One of the many charms that had attracted him to get to know you better.

It was when you were watching a movie with him that he found out that you were an actual witch. Too engrossed in the film than your surroundings, when the movie got to a part that captured your heart, you weren’t prepared to move on from it right away. With a small chant under your breath, the projected film on the large cinema screen instantly moved back, replaying the scene. Whilst it didn’t seem to bother the few others in the room, thinking it was a glitch, Jinyoung had heard you. He was certain you had spoken some foreign language quietly to yourself, then the movie jumped back. And the satisfied expression on your face only left him staring at you, perplexed.

He remained that way until the movie was finished.

“Did you enjoy it?” you asked happily, getting to your feet and heading out into the foyer. Jinyoung didn’t answer, still trying to wrap his brain around what had happened. You reached out for his wrist then, and he stared at you wide-eyed, your smile draining away along with the colour from your face.

“Oh, uh– I’m not feeling well!” you excused hastily, dashing off to the bathroom and left him waiting fifteen minutes for your return.

When you stepped out into the sunny Sunday afternoon together, Jinyoung proposed a question that sounded unfathomable for him to ask. “Are you a witch?”

“Ha-ha, do you uh, believe in them?”

“I believe in you to tell me the truth,” he responded and like a deer caught in headlights, you froze and then suddenly began to move, well, your mouth anyway.

“Did you hear the enchantment?! Oh, I’m sorry, it’s just that I got really excited and it’s so easy to do it! I have a bad habit of rewinding to my favourite parts at home too and my mother is always scolding me for it and-”

“You’re a witch?” he repeated and you nodded once. Jinyoung took in a deep breath and then nodded as well. “Okay, I believe you.”

And just like that, you settled right back down.

Although you would tell Jinyoung now and then of your skills, and he would listen to you, he would often chide you for not using your witchcraft on a productive level. “Are there any concentration spells, Y/N?”

You perked up immediately, bobbing your head up and down energetically. Arching an eyebrow at you and then pointing to your term paper notes across from him, your bubbly mood dampened down. “Maybe you should brew one for yourself.”

“I’ll get this done, don’t you worry! I’m just a little preoccupied researching something else.”

“Which is?” he wondered, not lifting his eyes from the textbook he had returned to. Most of the time, the things you would tell him would only leave him confused and since he had no understanding of the wizardry outside of Harry Potter and what little he had learned from you, Jinyoung wasn’t very forthcoming about learning of it. After all, he wasn’t the one with the powers here, and if he learned more about potions and enchantments, he would no doubt wish to perform them himself.

Which, he kind of had no ability to do so.

And that’s why he left you to your craft alone, supportive, but not active. He often got a headache trying to keep up anyway.

“Oh, it’s just something my Grandmother is helping me with,” you answered vaguely and he nodded, going back to his studies where newts and rabbit feet weren’t something he had to consider.

It was a month later when Jinyoung became concerned with what you were concocting. You had become rather frazzled – more than usual – and shut off from him. Your usual banter was missing from every situation, and you looked far too exhausted for a first-year college student.

Your exhaustion answered some of his questions.

“Love spells?” he murmured to himself as he glanced at his recent history search, glancing at you slumbering on the library table, your breathing steady and mind unaware of what clue you had given him. Smiling, he cleared it from his browser, waiting over several weeks for some tell-tale sign that you were trying to give him an elixir of some sort. But he couldn’t tell the difference at all.

Feeling a little miffed that you weren’t trying to work your magic on him; Jinyoung turned his attentions back to the upcoming calculus exam. It was his least favourite subject and yet it was one he shared with you, hoping due to your avid potion brewing that your neglected studies would send you his way.

He was right, the pair of you studying on his bed until you your head lolled onto his shoulder, now asleep with the even tone of his explanation. Smiling, he watched you for a moment before resting his head on yours.

Jinyoung was almost asleep when he heard you murmuring under your breath. Blinking away his dreams, he listened to your words. “Must get his blood.”

“Who’s blood?” he asked you, hoping you would reply.

“Jinyoung’s,” you breathed, nestling into his shoulder further. “For the spell.”

“You need my blood?”

“Mm, it has to work. The book said it would.”

Glancing at your bag on the floor, Jinyoung noticed it looked heavier than usual. Sliding himself out from his position on the bed, he made sure you were resting comfortably before tiptoeing over to his desk. Reaching down for your bag, he watched your sleeping form intently whilst retrieving what felt like a thick textbook.

He had been right, though it appeared to be one for witches and warlocks only. Curiosity beckoned him forth and after staring at the leather-bound cover, he opened the book.

It was more than he could have ever expected.

There was a love spell for everything, from making someone love you so much that they couldn’t see the rest of the world to removing memories of past lovers; this book was no joke. The spells were well versed, scripted in the finest handwriting and illustrated with rather in-depth diagrams. He was amused by the notes in the margins from past witches, explaining what happened if the ingredients were off by even a smidgeon.

If anything, the book was highly entertaining and by the time he found the spell you were working on, it was early morning.

“Oh no,” he heard breathed from across the room and Jinyoung cocked his head to the side, taking in your dishevelled appearance.

He then nodded. “Oh no, indeed.”

“How did you find that?”

“You mentioned it in your sleep to me,” he told you pointedly, flipping the page for effect. Admittedly, Jinyoung was feeling anxious, wondering if you were actually serious enough to go ahead with making your talisman. He had studied a great deal of your realm overnight and one thing he had learned quickly into the book was the risks that were involved. He couldn’t believe you were this desperate.

“Jinyoung, you shouldn’t be reading this,” you mentioned as you attempted to retrieve the spellbook but he pressed it back down into the table.

“And you should? These seem pretty intense.”

He stared up at you, wondering just how clueless you could be. He loved you; he had figured that out long ago. And whilst he wasn’t all over you like some college couples, Jinyoung had believed he showed you enough affection for you to pick up the hint.

Clearly not, since you needed his blood apparently.

Now feeble, you lowered your gaze from his. “I’m sorry if you just give me the book you won’t have to worry about it again.”

“Have you actually tried these?” he questioned, sighing when your silence answered him. He chuckled dryly. “Y/N, some of these require things from me!”

“Like hair,” you agreed and Jinyoung connected the moment from the other week when you had claimed there was a bug in his hair, yanking out a few strands in the process. You were remorseful, and yet he couldn’t help but continue, wanting to see just how far you were willing to go.

“Or worse, there’s one here asking for my blood! Would you have gone that far?” Gesturing to the book, he feigned concern when you coughed. “You need my blood?!”

“I didn’t want to hurt you. Just give me the book, Jinyoung and I’ll go home.”

He tried not to smile. “And do what; concoct more spells to make me fall in love with you? Unbelievable!”

His posture changed when tears welled in your eyes, his heart tightening with your emotions. “I promise I’ll stop. It hasn’t worked so far, so it’s pointless to ask you to give me anything more.”

“You love me that much, huh?” he asked softly, wanting to reach out and confess that he felt the same. But he knew with how charged the atmosphere was with your current mortification, that you wouldn’t believe a word he said. So he unbuttoned the cuff of his shirt, sliding it up his forearm. “Just blood?”

“What?” You head snapped up as you stared at him, and he proclaimed how ridiculous this was, just for your benefit. Holding out his arm, you instantly grew hopeful. It took all of Jinyoung’s effort to not kiss you right there and then. “Why are you offering?”

“I want to see if it works, if you can make me fall in love with you with a mere spell.”

“But what if it really works? What will you do then?”

“Be madly in love with you, isn’t that obviously the goal here?” He was getting impatient with how hesitant you were being, groaning at your unhurried movement. Reaching for a pack of darning needles on his desk he had found earlier, he pricked the top of his index finger. You gasped and he gestured for you to make a move, in which you finally did. He shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was to see the prepared talisman you pulled out of your bag, guiding his finger onto it. He watched as you shared your own blood on the yellow parchment too, reaching out for the finger you had now abandoned with your high interest on the paper, sucking away at it to stem the blood flow.

Maybe it had some power, after all, he was feeling rather giddy from the reaction he had to your bleeding finger.

Uttering some words with your hand on the talisman, Jinyoung looked between you and the spell, completely unimpressed. He knew it was because he was already in love with you, but he had been somewhat interested to see if there would be even the slightest of magic to occur in front of him.

“Is that it?”

“Do you feel any different?” you asked, hopeful and Jinyoung shrugged.

“Hm, let me see. My fingertip is tingling, should it be?”

“Honestly, Jinyoung, I knew I shouldn’t have listened to you just now, after all-”

Your disappointment was too much to handle and he reached out to encircle your waist, bringing you into his lap immediately. Gazing into your eyes, he sighed softly as he reached to run a thumb over your lower lip. He wanted to kiss you more than anything now.

“Are you sure the spell didn’t work?” he murmured, heart racing with how quickly you succumbed to the lightest of touches. If all this spell work didn’t already show him enough, Jinyoung was certain you were just as crazy about him as he was for you. “You’re so freaking adorable, you know that? How long have you been trying to make me fall in love with you?”

“For several months now,” you admitted slowly and Jinyoung was surprised. He hadn’t expected it had been so long. For a moment, he wondered just how many spells you had cast upon him. And then he smiled, soaking you in as you watched him carefully.

Gingerly, you cupped his cheek within your hand and he nuzzled into it, delighted to finally see you genuinely smile.

“It’s worked.”

He laughed. “No, it didn’t.”

“What?” You were confused, especially when his statement didn’t match the gentle kisses he left upon your wrist. Your smile disappeared entirely. “Don’t mess with me.”

“I know exactly why your little love spells haven’t worked, not a single one of them.”

You rolled your eyes, far too frustrated by his hot and cold game with you. He gripped onto you, shaking his head at your moment of flight.

“I can’t do this right now, Jinyoung. I think we’ve both had enough of all of this. I’ll just get on my way-”

“A spell can’t work on something that’s already naturally happened, right?” he stated, having read so in the book earlier on. Still, he wanted the clarification from you, holding onto your chin and seeking out your gaze once more.

“Why would someone use a spell if they already love them? Jinyoung, I-”

“Exactly what I want to know. Why were you trying to make me fall in love with you, when I already am?”

He didn’t allow your next sentence to form, kissing you immediately. His lips pressed to yours, languidly moving against your frozen ones, trying to thaw away the ice and bring you into the moment with him. As soon as your eyes closed, passion erupted and he was certain this moment would replay over and over in his thoughts for the rest of his life.

You poked him in the chest when the kiss was over. “You, you like me?”

“Why do you think I invested so much of my time with you? I was instantly attracted to you.”

“So all this time…?”

Jinyoung nodded, smug with satisfaction in fooling you. “You were so blind to it that for a while I thought you would only see me as your friend forever. But then when I caught wind of your love spell research, I started to find myself curious if it was more than one-sided.”

“Wait a minute, you knew?!”

“Of course, I did. You might be a witch but you’re not very good at hiding yourself, at least not from me.” Ignoring the doubt he had momentarily put weight into, he moved on with evidence about using his laptop that one time.

“You let me suffer all this time, completely desperate to find a way for you to love me and you already did?!”

“I wanted to see how far you were willing to go,” he answered, following you after your sudden departure from his lap, getting up off the chair and approaching you with another smirk. “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting you to get this invested. I’m honoured, you much really love me, Y/N.”

“I cannot believe you, Park Jinyoung!”

“And I’m not sure I trust you with all this magic either,” he admitted, casting his eyes towards the book he had perused all night. “But there is one thing I’m glad about.”

You stared at him apprehensively and Jinyoung felt his chest swell with love for you. Eyeing your mouth, he moved even closer to you. “Your lips tasted as sweet as I hoped they would.”

He kissed you again, smiling when you sighed in content against him, wrapping your arms around his waist. If Jinyoung had any magical abilities, he was hopeful it laid within his mouth. You definitely looked under his spell when you pulled away after two more kisses, giggling all of a sudden.

“You love me. I don’t have to smite anyone for taking you from me after all.”

“Oh my god,” he muttered, his own joy drying up at your ridiculousness. Jinyoung shook his head a few times. “I must be crazy to be in love with you, but I’d be even crazier without you.”

You beamed a bright smile up at him and Jinyoung didn’t care anymore if you were that eccentric girl who had her head up in the clouds. Or the one who dedicated yourself to things that he wouldn’t prioritise first. You were a whirlwind of the unexpected, and he was excited to see what you would come up with in the future. He faltered then, staring down at you firmly. “Just promise me one thing.”

You surprised him with a brief kiss, now grinning giddily up at him. Jinyoung almost forgot what his train of thought was then. Maybe the talisman did have some power.

Though he was certain it was just your effect on him.

“What?” you prompted.

“No more spells, let’s just let our love grow naturally, okay?”

_________________

All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft

[GOT7 Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

[prettywordsyouleft]

Scented

Summary: Knowing your love for scents, Donghyun thought brewing you a perfume would make for the perfect disguise of a secret ingredient.

Pairing: Kim Donghyun x reader

Genre: witchcraft au / idol au / fluff / noona – younger man

Warnings: none

A/N: Happy birthday @this-song-thats-only-for-you​ ! I hope you enjoy your story! Told you it would be obvious who I wrote for you! 

Word count: 1509

[Frightful October Masterlist]

“This has to work,” he murmured, standing before his aunt’s caldron, stirring the ingredients to just before emulsion. He didn’t need them to all mix together until he poured it into the perfume bottle, doing so with a careful and steady hand. Whilst the potion was safe on the skin once siphoned up the tube and turned into a mist, he didn’t want to take his chances with the liquid itself. Smiling at his handiwork, Donghyun labelled the bottle and packaged it up.

It would make for a perfect birthday gift.

Ever since Donghyun had known you, he was aware of your love for scents. You would pick them up wherever you went, immediately able to express the top and base notes of what each fragrance held precisely. It astounded him and his other members that you worked for, often buying unusual smelling items just to see how accurate your nose could be. And nine times out of ten, you would guess every part of the fragrance with little to no trouble. You claimed it came from a soap making hobby you enjoyed during your free time, but Donghyun had been dubious that you were of magical bloodlines like he was. Only one other person he knew had such an amazing ability with smells, and that was his aunt. She could smell toad’s breath a mile away and always harvested the best herbs from the most unique places.

And thanks to her attention to detail in helping him brew your perfume, Donghyun was certain you wouldn’t be able to pick up on all that was in your birthday gift.

“Wow, is this expensive?!” you gasped when you unwrapped his present, eyes darting from the perfume back to him. He was anxious, hoping you would not only enjoy the scent but put it on in front of him. Shrugging his shoulders to avoid answering your question, you were already too busy taking off the cap to smell the fragrance. You couldn’t seem to gather anything about it and frowned. “I can’t smell anything.”

“You should try spraying it, noona,” he offered and you nodded happily, holding out your wrist and pressing the nozzle to your skin. You then lifted it to your nose, inhaling deeply.

Donghyun waited with bated breath.

“Cinnamon, patchouli and bergamot? Is that also a hint of vanilla musk?” you listed off, sniffing at your wrist again and then frowned. “Wow, what’s that?”

“I wouldn’t know, you’re the fragrance expert,” he mentioned with a light chuckle, rocking back on his heels as he watched you intently.

Although Donghyun wasn’t expecting you to suddenly throw yourself at him, he had hoped for more of a reaction. A softening of your expression when you looked at him, a tender smile just for him. Anything that indicated that the potion had been successful.

But you just scrunched your face up in annoyance. “Oh, I just don’t know what that scent is!”

The next day at work you approached Donghyun as soon as he entered the building, grabbing onto his lower arm. He could smell the cinnamon permeating from your body and he grinned, looking down at you with hopeful eyes. “Morning, noona! How do you-”

“What is the scent?!” you exclaimed, shaking his arm repeatedly. “Did you buy this to mess with me? I’ve tried smelling everything I can possibly think of but nothing clicks! It’s driving me insane!”

“I uh, I mean, I’m not sure, did you check the label?”

He had, of course, created a label for the perfume so it looked more professional than being the nephew of the greatest witch in this city’s attempt of a love potion.

Specifically, one that would make sure you stopped looking at him as a kid and as a man who loved you instead.

Knowing how you were, he had been careful to list every ingredient apart from the drop of cupid’s arrow that he added in. He knew that was what you could smell now, and although it excited him that it had worked since there was no smell unless you were in love, he actually couldn’t tell you what it smelt like for you.

That was the beauty in the magic of it all.

“I have and it’s not there. They added in something else!”

“Well, do you feel okay?” he asked, tilting his head so he could examine you. Still no hearts in your eyes when you looked at him and you definitely weren’t smiling lovingly at him either.

Were you in love but not with him?

Just then, Woojin walked by and you gave him a warm smile, greeting him fondly and Donghyun gaped at you. Especially, when you turned back to him and whined unattractively. “I love the smell, but I’m so annoyed by it too!”

“It’s just perfume, Y/N. Relax about it and enjoy it.”

You sighed heavily, nodding once. “I suppose.”

Over the next week, every day Donghyun could smell the perfume on your skin. But still your approach was either strictly business or you were complaining.

About the darn scent.

“Fine! I’ll tell you!” he exclaimed, huffing with frustration. He was annoyed that after cultivating the potion for almost a month, it had done nothing to draw you closer to him. “There’s one more ingredient.”

“How do you know? Didn’t you buy this?”

He shook his head with a groan. “I made it.”

“You what?”

“My aunt is a witch and she told me if I wanted to get your attention, she had a potion that would make you… anyway, I spent twenty-five days creating it for you and all you’ve done is complain!”

“A potion?” you echoed, confusion evident on your face. “It’s not a perfume?”

“It’s both. I made sure the cupid’s arrow was hidden with some of your favourite scents so you would wear it often enough to… to uh-”

“Fall in love with you?” you offered and Donghyun coughed awkwardly, nodding feebly. For a moment you were silent and then you rolled your eyes. “You tried a love potion on me?!”

“Well, it’s just that it obvious I like you. And every advance I’ve made is met with you’re too young for me, Donghyun. What was I meant to do?”

“You are too young,” you countered and Donghyun sighed in defeat. “You’re also stupid.”

“What?! Are you seriously calling me stupid right now?! I stayed up well into the early hours of the morning sometimes working on this. Being an idol and dealing with magic isn’t easy, you know!”

“You’re stupid for thinking you needed a love potion,” you concluded, stepping closer to him and placing your hands on his hips. Donghyun was floored at your advance, and your pout up at him only made his heart thump harder in his chest. “Why did you need to go to all that trouble when it’s obvious I like you too? Who else puts up with you like I do?”

“Wait, what?” His eyebrows that had shot up his forehead now knitted together instead. “How has it been obvious? I had no idea. That’s why I made you the perfume and-”

Stretching up, you kissed him, ceasing all of his ability to talk. He was stunned as your lips pressed into his, but not for too long that he didn’t get the chance to kiss you back before you pulled away and settled down onto your feet again.

“You drive me insane. You’re good looking, charming and smart and yet you choose to like me. Why?”

He grinned giddily. “You’re cute. Really, really cute. Especially when you get mad at me.”

“Is that it?”

“Do you need more? What more do I need to tell you? I made a love potion to make you love me, doesn’t that speak volumes?” he wondered and you nodded thoughtfully. Slipping your arms around his waist, you looked up at him with what he knew you hoped would look alluring. It made him laugh instead. “Noona, I said you’re cute, don’t try to be sexy. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Can you take me to wherever you made this? So I can see the bottle of cupid’s arrow myself? I need to figure out the smell!”

Attempting to pull himself free from you, Donghyun groaned loudly. “Can’t you just accept it’s your own special fragrance? Just for you?”

“No, I can’t,” you refuted, pouting at his avoidance and then stamped your foot. “What were you expecting when you created a perfume for me? Love hearts to shoot from my eyes and for me to swoon at your feet?”

He cleared his throat a couple of times and avoided your gaze, feeling his skin heat up. “No, of course not! I just hoped you would tell me you loved me one day.”

“I love you, Kim Donghyun,” you confessed, smiling up at him warmly, your eyes shining with admiration. Before he could revel in the moment, however, your expression turned expectant. “Now will you take me?!”

Donghyun decided then that any future gifts would be unscented.  

_________________

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Incantation

Summary: With the enchantment of his voice and guitar, Sewoon was able to withdraw the thoughts of his audience to help him progress as a singer. He heard their thoughts, their issues and their dreams. But he never heard yours.

Characters: Jeong Sewoon x reader

Genre: fluff/ witchcraft au

A/N: Second fiction for this week! I’ve always had a love affair for Jeong Sewoon whenever he’s paired with his guitar… his voice is just everything to me, and so I knew I had to write something in this monthly theme with him enchanting us all! I hope you enjoy it!

Word count: 3081

 He sat on the stool, closing his eyes as his fingers plucked at the strings of his guitar in a perfect rhythm, the beautiful sounds quietening the small crowd of the bar. He smiled to himself before his voice joined in, hearing a couple of audible gasps from the audience at his tone.

Sewoon knew he sounded appealing, his voice oozing with a tone that even he himself was proud to own. It had taken years to sound this good. Countless hours of working through his vocal limitations, and many sessions of thumbing at his guitar with painful cracked skin and calluses. He had done it all to get to here. To be able to share his music with others. To captivate an audience with just his voice and guitar.

To reap the rewards from doing so.

His ears pricked as the first thought came to his mind, his eyes casually glancing to the girl in the front row. She blushed deeply when his eyes met hers, and her thoughts hit his mind in a fast stream, Sewoon barely catching all of it.

“If only I could sing a song about how to capture hearts. I believe love songs are the best!”

He nodded his head, he had sung many love songs before, in fact the song he was uttering right now was a shy love confession. He shifted in his chair slightly at his song choice tonight, looking across to you in the very back and sucking in some air before moving on to a man near you when his voice reached his ears.

“I reckon he could suit testing his power in a rock ballad. Something edgy, his voice could do it.”

Sewoon huffed, he knew he could, but it wasn’t really his style. He liked singing the way he was, and his new song was one of his favourite kind of sounds. Relaxed, and reliant on the varying shades of his voice. Plus, he needed his guitar to perform, and rock wouldn’t really suit his acoustic sound.

As the song came to an end, he sighed, the crowd hadn’t really offered much tonight. Bowing in gratitude, he climbed off the stage and went to get his drink from the bar, smiling at you from the other side of the counter that you were now back behind.

“Another great performance,” you mentioned with a smile and he nodded distractedly, thanking you for his honey water – a must have after being on stage. You had been gracious enough in giving him these every Friday and Saturday night, and he had come to think of you much like honey himself. You had stuck in his brain ever since he had met you here, and your smiles made him feel warm and gooey. He hated that you made him feel that way, especially after nights like tonight.

He hadn’t gotten anything from the crowd.

“It could have been better,” he admitted, and you cocked your head to the side. Sewoon smiled. “It’s not easy trying to captivate them sometimes.”

You scoffed. “Everyone was hanging off your words tonight, are you blind Sewoon?!”

Not you though, he thought to himself, sighing heavily. Out of every performance he’d done here, you hadn’t once offered him anything when he performed. Sure you’d smile a little as you wiped glasses and stacked them, or glanced over in his direction whilst pouring someone a drink.

But he hadn’t heard you yet. And it was driving him insane.

You see, Sewoon had tried. The hours in the studio, the vocal training, the calluses, they all came to a head one day when he was prepared to give being a musician up. And then he met some unfortunate soul at the right time for him, and the wrong time for them. They exchanged guitars, the man all but throwing his into Sewoon’s grip and taking his old, beaten, barely worth a dime of an instrument. He had never understood it at first.

But over time he realised the struggles of that musician. It wasn’t a guitar for just anyone. Because when he strummed his fingers over the strings, it made a melody that he had never thought he could conjure. And his voice suddenly fit the bill too. Sewoon wasn’t stupid, he knew the guitar was the reason he was succeeding now. He couldn’t quite explain it, but the underside had an engraving upon it that he couldn’t read, it was in a language not known to this world. He had tried to find it, and the closest he had come was to faery folklore. But he wasn’t so sure he could truly delve that deep into that kind of world, accepting the guitar had some kind of magic to it, and coupled with his voice, it made people fall in love with him.

Like an incantation, he put a spell on his audience, and hoped to receive in return.

The first time he had, he had almost stopped singing. He heard a young girl’s inner thoughts over her boyfriend, and how she wished he would realise how much she loved him. It had frightened him to look into her dreamy expression from his voice, and hear so much of what was tumbling around from within.

And then he realised how great her troubles would make for a new song.

After releasing that, he heard another voice, and wrote a song about caring for someone out of their reach. And from there he became greedy, his new songs all coming from the voices he heard when he performed. He had always struggled with his lyrics until his guitar found him.

Now he had everything going so well for him. Except you.

At first Sewoon insisted to himself that he didn’t need your thoughts, since on average he could get at least three song ideas from singing at the bar each night. That kept him busy and his music fresh. Ideally, he didn’t need you to help him with his lyrics when he was hearing everyone else around him. But over time, you were the only person he didn’t hear anything from. It intrigued him; he just wanted to hear from you once. To see what hid behind your pretty little smile that he had grown attached to. To see if your thoughts were as addicting as sinking into your eyes were.

You tapped your fingers on the bar counter loudly in front of him then, and he blinked rapidly. You smirked. “You did it again. Have I got something on my face? Always staring, Jeong Sewoon.”

“Uh, sorry,” he admitted, though he smiled all the same. You liked when he did. “Were you saying anything?”

“I might have complimented you on tonight’s song. It was, different.” He watched your cheeks flush with colour and his own skin grew hot from it.

His song might have been a bust tonight, but he was glad you liked it. It was one of his own for a change. He hadn’t written for himself in the past year since finding his guitar. But the song had formed itself over several dreams he had. Dreams of you. He had written it a month ago, and taken this long to have the courage to sing it.

He had learned that the songs from himself weren’t so popular, and should have guessed Eye 2 Eye wouldn’t be successful in drawing in new voices.

“Perhaps my own lyrics don’t do enough for others,” he concluded and then realised he had said it out loud when you placed your hand down on the bar top again. He glanced up at you, your eyes wide and shaking your head at him.

“Tonight’s song was my favourite,” you insisted and he couldn’t help but grin. But he held the rest of his thoughts in check. He didn’t want you to know just how giddy he felt then. Not yet anyway. He hadn’t made it big enough on his music, and he hadn’t heard you. As soon as he had, he’d confess.

He just hoped that moment would happen soon.

_____________________

A couple of months passed by and Sewoon was frustrated. His content was better than ever, but you were different, more distant from him. He couldn’t understand why. He had initially thought you had perhaps gotten a boyfriend with all of his stalling, and pulled back because of that. But you were still single so Gwanghyun, his friend that also worked the bar with you, had insisted. It confused Sewoon then, wondering what he had done that would make you barely smile at him anymore. You were still like honey to him, but now the kind that made it hard to swallow when you had spooned too much in at once. He was troubled, sometimes not paying attention to the voices he heard, and trying to capture your attention instead. He wondered if his guitar was up to no good, but he knew better. It was still sending out its spell, charming the audience to share with him.

Finally, you gave him an answer, though he hadn’t been prepared for it at all. He had watched you as he sung a song about two guys liking the same girl who always wore red, his eyes flickering to his subject that was a return member of his audience tonight. She seemed to look down at her red dress and then back up him in surprise, clapping her hands together and then turning to one of the guys on her right. By the time Sewoon found you again, your eyes were dark and dangerous. His voice cracked for the first time in a live performance and the crowd gasped.

He was thankful the song was quickly over, and after signing a couple of autographs, and packing up his guitar, he went over to the bar, you all but throwing a drink at him.

“Sorry, we’re all out of honey today.”

Sewoon took the water gingerly, and tried to smile. “That’s okay. Is, is everything alright with you?”

You looked like you were about to speak, but your eyes travelled around the bar for a moment, landing on someone behind him before narrowing back on his own face. He gulped, you were thunderous.

“Gwanghyun, watch the counter, yeah?” you barely got out through gritted teeth to the fellow bartender, who exchanged a warning look at Sewoon as you charged around the counter and dragged him and his guitar into the back storage room. Shutting the door, you firmly placed your arms over your chest.

“What the hell is your deal?!”

“I … uh… what?” he spluttered, your face was so twisted up. He couldn’t tell if it was anger or hurt that was more evident in your swirling eyes, and he couldn’t find his voice to ask further.

Thankfully you had a lot to say. “You’re a fraud.”

He froze.

“You know, as a bartender, I hear a lot of stories about people. You pour them a couple of drinks, and sometimes, someone will tell you their life story. I try to be polite and listen to them, but then I let their words go. How are you doing it Sewoon?! How are you hearing their problems or feelings and making them into songs?! How can you take from others like that? At first I just felt déjà vu with some of your songs. But tonight confirmed it. Jessi is the muse for tonight’s song, the lady in red! Right?!”

He didn’t know where to begin or what to say and you heaved in air, shaking a little at the confrontation. How could he even tell you? That the guitar he owns sends the voices to him and captivates him with their dramas to write them into lyrics? That he’d be a useless nobody without their support in his music. That sometimes he avoided singing songs so beautifully written because they held someone else’s pain in them? It wasn’t fair that he had zero talent to rely on. Sewoon felt his mood plummet the further he tried to find a solution.

He would need to find another bar to work in. This thought alone made him feel so cowardly; he lowered his head in shame.

You groaned. “Sewoon?!”

“I’m listening.”

“You’re not answering me though, how can you sing about others like that?! I thought, I thought you had a gift, but really, you’re just stealing inspiration from other people’s situations.”

He glanced up then, finding a small amount of courage as he gripped at his guitar case handle. “Isn’t that what artists do? Draw inspiration from others?”

“There’s a limit to it though, shouldn’t you experience it?!”

“I have,” he defended, thinking back over songs he had sung this year, a lot of them about being in a one-sided crush. He could definitely relate to that. “I’ve experienced a lot of what I sing.”

“Oh really,” you challenged, shaking your head a moment later. “I don’t even know why I’m this worked up at you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t owe me an apology! You’re not stealing my thoughts!”

“That’s because I can’t hear them!” he blurted out, his eyes growing wide momentarily. You were silent, but appeared curious as to what he meant. He groaned and nodded once. He would tell you. He told you how he had no true talent until the guitar came into his world. That he struggled with lyrics that people could relate to. How he came to hear the voices, the muses to his songs. How playing at the bar enchanted others. Except you. And how much it frustrated him. He spilled it all out, so much that he was kind of stunned when he was finished. Sewoon had never told anyone about any of this.

For an immeasurable moment, you were quiet, contemplating all he had said to you. And then you felt the tears in your eyes, wiping at them quickly in hopes he wouldn’t see them. But he did and he moved closer, reaching to rub away the tear stains on one of your cheeks. You bit at your lip at his gesture and Sewoon only then clicked onto what he was doing.

“I’m sorry, I-”

“Who’s thoughts belonged to that one song I liked, Sewoon?” you whispered and he frowned for a moment, trying to recollect the song you meant. “The one you thought didn’t do well, but I loved. Who owns those lyrics?”

He was struck by your words, his throat drying up. You were talking about his song. The one he had written for you. It had been you that had been behind those lyrics, a sweet confession of how he loved you.

“Sewoon?” you called to him, staring into his eyes. He smiled, just like the song lyrics.

“You do.”

You were taken aback, tilting your head to the side. “You just said you hadn’t once heard-”

“I mean, I wrote them, for you.”

You stilled, and he waited with bated breath for your next reaction. Suddenly you blinked rapidly. “But why, aren’t I frustrating you like you said?”

“I was frustrated that I could never find a way to tell you how I felt, because you never gave over your inner voice, I was worried on how to approach you the right way. On whether you liked me too. The lyrics in that song, they’re about you.”

“Oh.” You seemed stuck again, and he didn’t know what more to do. His hands itched to grab you, his eyes zeroed in on your lips in the dim lighting. But he waited. You had been far too angry with him before. He didn’t want to push too hard and lose you completely. He already thought he had. Finally you glanced up at him and smiled lightly. “Could you, could you sing it again to me?”

“Now?”

You nodded. “Do you even remember the lyrics?”

He almost laughed. He couldn’t forget them like he couldn’t forget to breathe. They were embedded in his mind always; because they had been his first proper lyrics of his own he performed.

Sewoon bent to pull out his guitar, standing upright quickly as he slung it over his shoulder. He was nervous, and he wasn’t normally when he went to perform. But this was for you and you only.

He began to sing for you, his voice echoing a little in the space you were in. And like everyone else who stood before him when he sang, you were captivated. But in a different way. There was no dreamy gaze, or looking as if you were under a spell. He could see your eyes brighten when he mentioned how you were pretty in a different way each day. How moved you were when he got to the bridge, the part where he expressed his hesitations on how to tell you his feelings. He held you up to the very last line, and then the room succumbed to silence again, a slight ringing of the last strum of his guitar still in his ear.

“Do you want to hear my inner voice now?” you asked and Sewoon smiled.

“It doesn’t work that way, it happens when I play-”

“I like when you smile too. Every time I see you it makes my heart beat faster. When you get lost staring into my eyes, I’ve always hoped it was because you liked me. It gave me time to gaze at you too. My answer is yes Sewoon.”

“Yes?” he managed, his breathing feeling unhinged at your words.

You nodded, reaching forward to for his hand, gently intertwining yours with his. “You’re not a bad person for what you’re doing. But I like your songs better. You should sing them more than other people’s ones. Your thoughts are my favourite. And I’ll tell you, like you asked in your song, yes, I want to see you tomorrow too.”

Sewoon swallowed, he hadn’t expected this when you had dragged him in here. But he wasn’t complaining. Because you had answered his lyrics. And there was only one thing left for him to do. Leaning in closer, he hesitated only a second before pressing his lips to yours, his soul feeling as though it was singing its own song now as you kissed him back.

He wasn’t talent-less. Sure, the guitar helped, even now. But you had liked his love song for you.

He only hoped you’d like the rest to come.

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Welcome to Frightful October, a collab between myself and @this-song-thats-only-for-you ... this week’s theme is Spellbound! To follow more of the stories check out the links below:

Other stories in Spellbound: Superstitious // Incantation // Love Spell // A Gift

Frightful October Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Request Guidelines

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Frightful October Masterlist

This month I’m collaborating with Sem (@this-song-thats-only-for-you) to write three stories a week (with 2 in the final week) with a “spooky” theme (let’s be real there’s nothing spooky except my drawing skills from last year in that header above lol). You can read more about the collab //HERE//

[Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

_________________

week one; spellbound

Superstitious - Lee Taeyong (NCT)

Incantation - Jeong Sewoon

Love Spell - Park Jinyoung (GOT7)

week two; demonology

King of Demons - Im Jaebum / GOT7

-- BONUS fiction Unfathomable - Mark Tuan (GOT7)

Risky Visions - Jung Jinyoung (B1A4)

Contract - Jung Taekwoon (VIXX)

week three; bloodlust

Deal - Cha Hakyeon (VIXX)

Saviour - Hwang Minhyun (WANNAONE)

Culmination [M] - Jung Daehyun (B.A.P)

week four; haunted

Spirited - Mark Tuan (GOT7) 

Dreaming [M] - Ong Seongwoo (WANNA ONE)

Muse - Jung Yonghwa (CNBLUE)

week five; hallow’s eve

Wolfed Out -  Kang Daniel (WANNA ONE)

Grim Decisions - Do Kyungsoo (EXO)

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handy links: 

Sem/this-song-thats-only-for-you:  frightful october masterlist

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Frightful October Week 1 Overview

Here you can find all the links to the fictions written for the theme Spellbound!

Superstitious

Incantation

Love Spell

A Gift

Handy links:

Week Two - Demonology // 

Frightful October Masterlist

Chelle/prettywordsyouleft: frightful october masterlist // personal masterlist

Sem/this-song-thats-only-for-you:  frightful october/personal masterlist

[this-song-thats-only-for-you]

Transformation Part 2

Summary:  You had loved your best friend for as long as you could remember. Your love was strong, but was it strong enough to overcome the impossible?

Characters: Kim Doyoung x Reader

Genre: magic / witchcraft / transformation au

A/N: Welcome to my third story in Frightful October. This weeks theme: Spellbound. This story will be posted in two parts. Sorry for the late posting. The first part can be found here.

Word count: 2,239

 Panic started to overcome you as you stared at yourself, the orange fur covering every part of where your skin should be. Were you seeing clearly? Surely you would wake up from this nightmare, it couldn’t possibly be true. You proceeded for the next twenty minutes to bring yourself out, and wake up from this nightmare, even going so far as to bite yourself, yet nothing worked. You were indeed a fox. You decided then to inspect your surroundings, realizing if you could not return to your normal human form, then the next best thing would be to escape and search for help.

“Where am I?” you repeated to yourself, scanning the room for any indication. The room felt spacious for its small size, hardly any furniture decorated the space. A small bed adorned one side of the room, a small table next to it, with a toilet placed on the opposite side. You huffed out a breath of air, determination setting in and overriding your sense of fear from earlier on. You walked around on your new-found four legs, noticing the ground below you was softer as you headed towards the locked door. Using your paw you began to dig, unsure of why it came over you to do so. Minutes passed, and your paws dug deeper, noticing the light now shining through under the door, your way of escape.

“Thank goodness!” you screamed, although the sound that met your ears was a small howl of delight. This was definitely going to take some getting used to. Shaking yourself out of the thought, you crawled your way through the small space you had made, somewhat proud of your resilience, as you noticed the sun was starting to set in the sky. You decided then to go to the only place you knew to be safe. The one place Doyoung would look for you.

To say Doyoung was panicked was an understatement. He had waited for you to arrive home from his mothers for over an hour before he tried to call you, but you didn’t answer. Within ten minutes he was at his mothers’ doorstep, asking her where you were. She seemed to be keeping something from him, and only told him that you had long gone. Before he left he made sure to let her know to call him if she heard from you, even though he knew that would be highly unlikely.

It struck him then to go to your cabin, the safe haven for the two of you. If anything had happened to you that would be the first place you would turn to. His eyes grew large as his mind wandered away with him, his thoughts turning dark at what might have happened to you. Never in your whole life had he not been able to contact you, and it frightened him to no end.

He let out a sigh of relief as he finally reached the cabin, his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Walking to the front door his eyes washed over the porch, searching for any indication that you were here. The lights were off inside when the door creaked open; his body slumped in defeat, his hopes of you being here safe and sound slipping from his grasp. Flicking the light on and closing the door behind himself he turned towards the living area, stopping dead in his tracks upon seeing a bright orange fox sitting there, watching him intently.

“What the..” he questioned, his eyes furrowing in disbelief as he slowly made his way further into the room. The fox, unmoving followed him with its eyes as he stood behind the couch, his hands gripping onto the back tightly. “How did you get in here?” he asked softly into the room as he continued to watch the fox expectantly.

You sat still, watching Doyoung warmly, your eyes pleading with him to realize it was you, not that he could tell but you were hopeful, especially when he spoke to you. His voice soothed the panic still within you as you tried to speak.

“It’s me. I got inside through the window.”

At least that was what you were trying to say, all that could be heard were barks and squeaks coming from your furry mouth. You stopped, defeat in your posture as you moved onto the couch, circling the spot on your favourite blanket with a huff. Doyoung watched you entirely fascinated as he moved from behind the couch, sitting himself down slowly next to you.

“The only person I know who likes this blanket is Y/N.” he announced affectionately “And now there’s you. Why are you not afraid of me? Why am I not afraid of you?”

He had a million questions running through his mind as he sat there watching you closely. Why did he feel a sense of calmness wash over him with this strange fox inside this cabin? The worry of finding you started to dissipate and he didn’t know why.

Suddenly everything turned into complete darkness, Doyoung’s eyes struggling to see anything. Confusion set in until a light began to appear, it was only small but he felt a pull to go towards it, so he did. Slowly he stepped forward, the light moving just out of his reach, yet it began to open up. He stopped upon seeing a figure standing there. He would recognize that silhouette anywhere. A sigh of relief left his body as he smiled broadly, his hands reaching out for you.

It felt like a million years had gone by since he had seen you last. Had you always been this beautiful? Of course, you had, in his eyes, you were something else entirely. You hadn’t noticed him approach you yet, staring off into the distance as your hand played with an ornament hanging from your neck. Doyoung squinted, not ever having seen it before. It seemed out of place hanging from your neck, the pendant in the shape of a human heart made of brass.

“Y/N, where did you get the pendant?” his voice sounding distorted even to his own ears. You turned to face him then, your smile soft, yet not fully reaching your eyes.

“It’s me.” You replied, eyes locking with his as your hand still played with the pendant gently. He soaked you in, seeing the sadness in your eyes, yet a small glimmer of hope shone through too. What did you mean?

He sucked in a breath as he shifted his gaze to your hands, the pendant shining a bright orange as your hand started to dissolve.

“Find me.”

“Y/N!” he shouted after you as you disappeared before his eyes.

 Doyoung woke up in a sweat, the images of losing you not leaving his mind. It took him a moment to realize where he was, his erratic breathing filled the room as he searched for you, only to find the fox sleeping soundly next to him.

“Find me.” He whispered as he watched the animal intently, his hand reaching out to pat it lightly.

You stirred under his touch, a yawn leaving your mouth as you stretched your furry limbs. You paused mid-stretch, your eyes connecting with Doyoung’s, pleading for him to see you.

“Find me.”

Instantly the air around you changed, becoming thicker and making it hard to breathe. Doyoung’s body froze, his hand stopping just inches away from you as a surge of electricity shot through the both of you. It was like a switch went off inside his mind, Doyoung finally seeing you.

“Y/N?”

“Yes! Yes, it’s me!” You yapped, excitement overwhelming you as you jumped up into his arms, tail and all. Doyoung laughed lightly, his arms capturing you almost instantly, his eyes crinkled as he smiled, relief flooding him once again.

“I had the strangest dream. It led me to you.” He confessed, his hand still running over your fur gently “And I think I know how to get you back.”

 Thud. Thud. Thud.

He banged on the large wooden door with urgency, his fist turning red, but Doyoung didn’t care. His heart raced faster as his anger began to bubble to the surface the longer he waited for his mother to open the door. It felt like forever but soon she appeared, opening the door reluctantly.

“Doyoung what are you-?”

“Don’t. Where is she?”

He pushed past his mother, you following closely behind him as his mothers eyes grew large, her skin turning white in fear as she saw you.

“Whoever do you mean?” she asked as casually as she could muster.

“Agatha. She did this yes?”

Doyoung sat down on the couch, his manners thrown out the window as he folded his arms in front of his chest defiantly. He glared in his mothers direction waiting for her to admit to her wrongdoings.

“Change her back. Now.”

“I can’t. I mean I don’t know how to.” She confessed, fumbling over her words.

“Yes, you do.”

Doyoung had no plans to back down until he had you back in his arms, the way you should be. Twenty minutes later and Agatha finally made herself known to the household. She walked into the room without a care in the world, her body language radiating annoyance more than anything.

“You made her this way. Now change her back.” Doyoung demanded, standing up and crossing the room in mere seconds as he towered over her. She seemed unfazed by his theatrics, her eyes looking straight through him and making contact with you, still sitting quietly by the couch.

“Why should I? It is no concern of mine young man.” She replied uninterestedly as she began to remove her cloak from around her shoulders. It was then that Doyoung noticed a familiar pendant hanging around her neck. The same one that appeared in his dream that morning. Was it a sign? It had to be. Without another thought, Doyoung reached out to pull it from around her throat, the brass heart in his hands within a second. He stumbled backward, his hand still clutching the pendant tightly. He felt it then, a sudden throbbing within his hand. The heart was beating.

“No!” she wailed, her hands stretching out desperately towards Doyoung.

“Smash it!” You yelled, although only barking could be heard. Doyoung turned to you nodding once as he threw the heart with all his might into the ground, smashing it almost instantly into tiny little pieces.

A blinding light filled the room, the force throwing everyone off their feet and onto the ground. Blinking rapidly Doyoung shielded his eyes, his vision impaired momentarily as he gazed towards where you were.

“Y/N!”

“Doyoung!”

You fumbled, crawling towards the sound of his voice, your eyesight still recovering from the light as your hand made contact with his. You let out a whine of relief, your emotions overwhelming you as tears fell down your face. You were human again. You clutched to him with all that you had, his arms found you, wrapping around your waist instantly. His lips found yours, kissing you with a sense of urgency as if his life depended on it.

Breathless you broke apart reluctantly, his hands cupping your face gently as he smiled down towards you, his eyes sparkling with happiness. You mirrored his actions, forgetting the world around you until someone cleared their throat.

“I’m sorry.” Doyoungs mother confessed, her hands toying with the edge of her shirt as she made her way towards you both “I see that I was wrong to tear you apart. It is clear that you love each other very much. Can you ever forgive me?”

She seemed unlike the woman you had known your whole life, the realization that she might lose her son finally allowing her to see the error of her ways. The thought had crossed your mind to not forgive her, to leave her to suffer the consequences but you couldn’t bring yourself to be that cruel. You squeezed Doyoungs hand gently, sending him a silent signal of forgiveness, knowing how much his mother truly meant to him.

“Of course we can.”

“Thank you.” Relief flooded her then as tears began to flow freely down her face, as she pulled you both in for a hug.

 The sun was almost setting as you sat outside of your wooden cabin, the porch creaking under approaching feet. Doyoung smiled, carrying a hot chocolate for you both as you moved over slightly, allowing him to sit next to you. Leaning back into him you pulled the blanket over your lap, taking the mug from his hands as you made yourself comfortable once more. Doyoung kissed your head gently, as one hand brushed down your arm, resting on your growing stomach a moment later.

“I could spend forever out here. Just us.” He murmured.

“Don’t you mean the three of us?” You corrected cheekily.

“How could I forget our little cub?”

You rolled your eyes at his joke, elbowing him softly as you shook your head lightly. He chuckled, kissing you on the top of your head once more.

Although you had remained human since you mended things with his mother, and time had passed since your little escapade as a fox, you weren’t in a hurry to relive it, enjoying what life had to bring you and your growing family, just how you were. 

Human.

[this-song-thats-only-for-you]

A Gift

Summary: You’d always kept that part of yourself hidden, or so you thought. But what if you weren’t as clever as you thought, and someone had seen it all?

Characters: Ong Seongwoo x reader

Genre: fluff / magic / witchcraft au

A/N: Welcome to my first story for Frightful October!

Word count: 1,717

It happened again. You couldn’t explain it, rationally at least. No one would believe you, and no one had. When you told your bestfriend she just looked at you  skeptically before laughing it off, thinking you’d consumed too much caffeine. It was then you decided to not breathe a word of it to anyone else, surely it was just your imagination, your head playing tricks on you. You couldn’t actually freeze time or make things move on their own.

You laughed nervously at yourself as you turned around, making sure no one saw you as you picked up your backpack from the desk, quickly gathering the rest of your belongings and shoving them inside. Pushing the chair in you closed your eyes briefly, taking a deep breath as you headed towards the exit.

Were you not careful enough? Did someone see? All these thoughts were running through your mind as panic started to set in. Your heart started to beat faster in your chest the closer you got to the large wooden doors of the library, the hairs on the back of your neck standing up as you suddenly felt like you were being watched.  

“Y/N”

You stopped as you heard your name. With a deep breath you turned around. Lifting your head higher your blue eyes were met with his brown ones, a smug smile on his face.

“You forgot these” he said, handing you a few loose sheets of paper that had fallen out of your notes. “They looked important. Why are you reading about mag-”

You snatched them from his large hands then, cutting him off mid sentence. Heat rushed to your cheeks, a light blush suddenly colouring them.

“Yah Seongwoo, who said you could read something that doesn’t belong to you?” you questioned him. He continued to smile at you, his eyes washing over your flustered appearance, clearly enjoying watching you squirm.

It had been this way for as long as you’d known him. Ong Seongwoo, the boy next door. He took every chance he got to annoy you, to pester you and make you have a complete meltdown. You had no idea what made you so fascinating to him, you rarely hung out during school times, being in different cliques and all. You saw him every now and then when you were home, a habit of living next door, but other than that he always seemed to pop up unexpectedly every time. He shrugged at your question, his hand now moving to readjust his backpack.

“You seemed in a rush to leave and i noticed your notes. I figured you would need them back. I was only trying to be nice Y/N. I am a nice person you know” he responded, staring at you incredulously trying to get his point across.

You sighed. There was no point in trying to argue with him, he always found a way to outtalk you.

“Thank you” you simply said. “You still shouldn’t have snooped”

“I couldn’t help myself, it’s not every day you read about people moving things with their minds” he teased, his arms now flailing about as he got animated “I mean how awesome would it be. Wouldn’t you like to? You could get yourself a snack without having to get up-”

“Seongwoo!” you whispered hastily scolding him, your own hands reaching out to stop him from making a scene. He just looked at you, the smirk appearing once more.

“What?”

You stared at him, unable to believe that he’d ask you that, especially since the topic you were both talking about wasn’t your everyday conversation starter. Let alone you were currently still in the library, a place of silence and Seongwoo was anything but. He waited for your response, the smirk still spread across his face, his eyes now forming half moons as he realized he’d wound you up. “Nevermind” You sighed deeply in defeat as you turned away from him and made your way to the exit once more.

“What it’s not like you can actually do magic Y/N. Or can you?”

You froze for the second time in a matter of minutes. You fought with yourself on whether or not to continue the conversation, knowing very well that he’d most likely only said that to rile you up again. He didn’t actually believe what he’d asked. Or did he? You stood contemplating your next move.

“Are you going to answer me?” You could hear it in his voice then, he was getting impatient with you. He teased you or worked you up, but very rarely did he get impatient. You turned to face him again, finding yourself playing into his games, even though you didn’t want to.

You couldn’t form a proper response, you watched as his face contorted from impatience, to confusion, to something else entirely. Something you’d never seen before.

“How could- I mean why would..I don’t have time for this”

That was when it happened. Again, but this time you were in control. Your hands reached out as if you were pushing him away. It all happened within a second. Everything around you had now frozen. You scanned the scene in front of you. Students at their desks mid flip through a book, some having a conversation but nothing was coming out. And then you turned to Seongwoo. He was still glaring at you, though he would know no better. You walked over to him and lightly touched his hand.

“I’m sorry” you whispered as you finally left the library and his never ending questions.

Sitting in your room on your bed a few hours later you found yourself in a state of restlessness. You had never knowingly used your magic on someone before, yes at times your emotions were out of control and things froze or exploded by themselves, but you hadn’t known that would happen.

This time however you had done it with intent and that didn’t sit well with you. You were always told by your grandmother to never harm another living soul, that the magic in your veins was a gift, and one to treasure. Technically you didn’t harm him, he wouldn’t know, he would just think you left really fast, but that didn’t change the fact that you had invaded into his mind.

Suddenly you were shaken out of your thoughts as you heard a loud banging coming from your front door. Getting up from your bed you rushed towards the door, the banging increasing the longer you took to answer it.

“Hold on, I’m coming!” You shouted.

Turning the knob as you began to open the door, you didn’t get very far as it was pushed open further by the person making the incessant noise.

He walked straight into your house, taking the handle from you and closing the door behind him quickly before he turned back towards you.

“Ong, what are you doing here?”

Your eyes washed over him in confusion and panic as you noted his appearance. He was breathing heavily, as if for some reason he couldn’t calm down. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, just watching you. You started to become uncomfortable, not used to being scrutinized by someone, let alone Seongwoo, who had still yet to say why he was here.

“Why do you always do that to me?” he finally said, his voice much quieter than you anticipated.

“Pardon?”

“You know what I mean. You always brush me off, one second you’re there and the next you’re not”

“I don’t know what you’re on about..”

“Don't play dumb with me Y/N. You know exactly what I mean” he moved closer to you then, the space between you almost non existent “You think I don’t know what you are? What you can do? What you do to me?”

His voice became pained then, one hand reached for yours, as the other found  its way to your cheek. The air around you seemed to disappear as you struggled to breathe. Was this really happening? Seongwoo pulled you into him, his brown eyes pleading with yours to hear what he was trying to tell you, to show you.

“W-what do I do to you? W-what do you think I am?” you stuttered.

He smiled then.

He leaned down ever so slowly, both hands now cupping your cheeks as he gently grazed your lips with his. Your body froze momentarily before you realized what was happening. Ong Seongwoo was kissing you. And you were kissing him back. Your arms reached to wrap around his neck as you moved to deepen the kiss, your body now alight with desire, but before you could lose yourself completely to the feeling, a loud smash startled you both.

Letting go of each other you turned in the direction of the noise to find the hallway mirror shattered into pieces, nowhere near where it had previously hung.

“What just happened?”

“I think we broke the mirror”

“I.. we didn’t do that..” you stumbled, realising that yes, you could have done that. Your emotions were heightened.

Seongwoo chuckled softly as he pulled you into his arms.

“You’re a witch Y/N. That’s what i -know- you are”

“Wh-” He shushed you with his index finger, to tell you he wasn’t done talking.

“And you drive me completely crazy. I’ve known for years, why do you think I always pester you and enjoy working you up?”

Your mouth hung open then, and he continued to chuckle at your lack of observation.

“I needed to find proof, to make you use your powers, and to make you see that I don’t think you’re a weirdo. That you can trust me”

You were completely and utterly shocked. You had thought you were always careful, that no one had seen you, but he had seen you. Seongwoo, the boy next door who continuously pestered you, who always found ways to make you flustered, it all made sense now.

Your vision began to blur as tears filled your eyes. How had he known? How did he not find it unbelievable, instead he just accepted it. Accepted you, how you were entirely.

“Really?”

He nodded happily, his arms wrapping around you even tighter.

“What can i say, you’ve put a spell on me”

________________

Welcome to Frightful October, a collab between myself and @prettywordsyouleft… this week’s theme is Spellbound! To follow more of the stories check out the links below:

Other stories in Spellbound: Superstitious // Incantation // Love Spell // A Gift